Of Promises and Perseverance
by Luna Silvereyes
Summary: Five years have passed. Sonja and Kaiba remain friends, even when Sonja's past comes back to haunt her. As time creeps by and outside influence invades, will friendship become something more in the process? Cauryn Terenkey now co-author
1. Blast From the Past

A/N: Here it is, the long awaited sequel to Of Life and Arrangements! Unlike many of my other stories, whenever I say the name of that book, I always get a little warm feeling. It's the kind of story I almost literally put my heart into. ^_^

Anyway, I hope you all like this story half as much as the other one, at least. Please let me know how I do.

Blast from The Past

Sonja looked at the clock and immediately, the hours she'd been putting in crushed down on her like a weight. It was nearly ten. She hadn't noticed the time flying by.

She looked back at her computer where her budding novel lay waiting. She'd already published a few short stories in the past few months. But because of the court case, she'd had to go under the penname of Lucy Trevor. She didn't mind. Lucy had actually been the name her mother had liked when she was born. Her dad had won the argument, though.

She saved her work, shut down her computer and got to her feet, stretching. She was starting to feel all of those injuries the doctors had mentioned five years before at the trial. Even though they were repaired, she could still feel a little twinge of pain every now and then.

Five years.

She could hardly believe it had been that long. That long since she'd come to Domino and met Kaiba and Mokuba. She was twenty-three and it was still catching up with her.

Sonja yawned and left the shop, locking the door and heading upstairs.

She found Sophie sitting on the sofa, watching some old horror movie on the black and white set. She turned when Sonja came in.

"Hey, sis!"

"Hey, Sophie. What are you watching?"

"Some old _Goosebumps_ show. It's called _Don't Think About It. _It's good, but the effects are really lame."

"Sophie, if that thing gives you nightmares like the last one did, don't come crying to me."

Sophie mocked her and sighed. "It won't give me nightmares. They rarely do, anymore."

"Oh, rarely as in the poltergeist movie you saw last week?"

"That was different." Sophie muttered.

She got up and skipped over to where her sister stood poking through the mail.

"What are we doing for dinner tonight?" she asked eagerly.

"How many times today have you asked me that?" Sonja griped. "Honestly, you eat like there's no tomorrow and yet somehow, you stay as skinny as a post. I don't know what's up with you, but you'd better go back to normal, or I'm calling FBI." Sonja muttered, picking up a bill from the electric company. She put that aside and selected a package that lay sitting with the scattered envelopes. She held it up to the light and frowned.

"I wonder who this is from?" she said.

"I don't know." Sophie answered, taking out a small bottle of apple juice. "But it's from our home address code."

"Back in Japan?" Sonja proclaimed in shock. "No way! Who the heck even remembers us out there?"

"Apparently somebody." Sophie said. "They sent us something. And it's heavy, whatever it is."

It was true. The package weighed at least six pounds or more. Sonja lifted it up and down a few times and then set it on the counter.

"I'll open it later." She said. "I'll start dinner."

"What are we having, sis?" Sophie asked.

"Leftovers." Sonja said. Sophie made a face and clutched her stomach. "Blech! I'd rather eat what the teacher made me and Mokuba prepare in cooking class!"

Sonja scowled. "Oh, and what did you make?"

"Green bean casserole. It tasted like burnt rubber because a certain somebody forgot to check the oven timer. He set it for two hours instead of twenty minutes."

Sonja snickered. "That sounds like Mokuba all right." She chuckled.

"Stop laughing!" Sophie snapped, barely concealing her own amused grin.

"I'll stop. But whether or not you like it, we're having leftovers and that's that."

Sophie sighed irritably. "Fine. What is there?"

Sonja opened the fridge and inspected the contents.

"Well, there's pasta, some kind of fishy stuff and that beef stew I made the other night."

Sophie grimaced. "You're a good cook, Sonja, but the food only ever tastes good the night it was prepared. After that, it tastes moldy."

Sonja scowled. "I'm sorry my cooking is so horrible." She snapped.

"I didn't say that!" Sophie exclaimed as Sonja stormed out and stalked outside, down the stairs. Sophie glared after her and looked back at the open fridge.

"I guess I'll have beef stew and pasta." She said.

Sonja leaned against the wall outside the shop and sighed. It was getting cold and she wished she'd brought a jacket with her.

"Boy am I an idiot." She mumbled. She shivered and looked toward the stairs. "I guess I'll go back in. No sense following stupid pride just because of a dumb argument."

Slowly, she ascended back up to the second floor, feeling her limbs grow number with each second. She fumbled open the doorknob and stepped inside.

Sophie glanced up from the sofa, a spaghetti noodle dangling from her mouth. She sucked it in and swallowed. "Back already?" she said.

"Yeah, it's too cold to be holding a grudge like this." Sonja mumbled. She went over to the kitchen counter and stared out the window.

"Wonder…," she whispered, "What they're doing, right now?"

"Who? Thing 1 and Thing 2?" Sophie asked in playful reference to the Kaiba brothers. Sonja had to chuckle a bit.

"No. You know." She said.

Sophie nodded in understanding.

"Probably wondering where we are, right now." She answered. She slurped up another noodle. "You know, I've always thought of going back there. To look for them."

"Too dangerous." Sonja said, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of water. She opened it, but didn't drink it. She swirled it around the bottle and hopped up to sit on the counter.

"Why?" Sophie asked.

"Not all of Allan's goons followed him to America, Sophie. A good deal of them are probably still out there, awaiting his return."

Sophie sputtered sarcastically.

"Yeah, like that'll happen anytime soon." She said skeptically. " Allan got sixty years in the bin, sis. Five of those years are already up, so he's got fifty-five to go. Unless he pulls some miraculous escape in the next few years, his days as a drug lord are down the toilet."

Sonja smiled slightly. Sophie knew that she wasn't convinced. But she should have expected this. Sonja knew Allan more extensively than anyone. She'd know exactly how crafty he could be.

Sonja finally took a sip from the water bottle and sighed.

"Did I tell you?" she said. "Seto wants me to go to another trade show with him next week."

"Again?" Sophie exclaimed. "Man, that's two in three months. Where are you going?"

"Seattle." Sonja replied. Sophie's face glowed in excitement and envy.

"Aw, I've always wanted to go there and see the Space Needle! You're so lucky, sis!"

"Oh, cut it out. The way he plans the schedule, I'll be lucky if I even get a photograph of it. But I'll try to get you a key chain or something of it when I get to the airport."

Sophie pouted and got up to put her plate in the sink. Then, she nosed through the freezer until she emerged with a cheery Popsicle. Sonja just shook her head.

"I don't know how you do it, Sophie." She said wryly.

"Jeez, Sonja, it isn't like you're fat, or anything. You're even scrawnier than I am and it's cause you barely eat anything at all."

Sonja made a face at her and Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, are you flying commercial again?"

"Yeah. Seto's pilot's license expired and he keeps forgetting to renew it."

Sophie shook her head, the Popsicle clamped between her teeth as she sucked on it.

"What an idiot." She said, nearly dropping it.

"Sophie, you sound like a leech, doing that. Cut it out." Sonja growled, turning to the package on the table.

"Hand me a knife, please." She said.

Sophie set one on the table from the counter and sat down beside Sonja as Sonja sliced through the tape holding the box shut. Inside the box was what appeared to be a DVD player wrapped in cellophane and bubble wrap. She blinked and lifted it out, setting it on the table and pushing the box aside.

"Wow. Either somebody really likes us, I mean REALLY likes us, or this somebody's got issues." Sophie remarked.

"Whoever this somebody is, they sent us a recorded message and I'm guessing from the lack of a return address, we're free to keep the thing." Sonja replied, noticing a disk inside a baggie on top of the player. "Lets' play it and see what's on it."

"Yeah, maybe it'll turn out to be some stalker with a gigantic crush on you, or something. But then," she said with a glance at the ceiling. "If it is, and Mr. Kaiba finds out, I sure hope this guy's had a merry life 'cause it would end soon after."

Sonja scowled.

"I have no idea what you're even talking about, you space cadet*. Honestly, maybe you should be the writer of the house. And besides, he wouldn't do anything like that."

"Sure he would. You know how protective he is of you. Don't tell me you've forgotten that he was the one who first saw you wake up in the hospital. How sweet!" she gushed, and then laughed hysterically.

Sonja sighed irritably.

"I often wonder what it's like to live in a world of total and blissful idiocy like you do, Sophie."

Sophie stuck out her tongue as Sonja turned on the DVD player.

The screen fizzled and both sisters watched in anticipation as two people appeared on the screen.

"Say _what_!?" they both shrieked in disbelief.

The boy had frizzy red and yellowish hair that looked as though it hadn't seen a brush since day one. Messy T-shirt and holey jeans made for a ragged, unappealing individual who didn't even look into the camera. The girl, on the other hand, radiated preppy. Short red plaited skirt and white top with wavy reddish brown hair, she radiated confidence and the sense of a pleasant lifestyle.

_"He-e-e-y Sonni!"_ she squealed.

"No…freaking…way." Sonja mumbled.

"_I betcha don't remember me, huh? Betcha don't, mm-hmm." _

"Oh, trust me, I remember." Sonja growled. She was tempted to turn the device off.

_"Listen, listen! It's me, Arika Kunisaki! And of course you remember Daichi! Well, guess what! We're related!" _

By now, she was so close to the camera, that Sonja and Sophie had to avert their eyes from seeing rather unwanted images.

"_See, Daichi is actually my brother due to a rather complicated setup by our respective parents in their teenage years that we'd rather not go into. Any-hoo, we have a surprise for you! We're coming to Domino city!" _

Sonja's eyes went wide and she started to shake.

"Did she just say…?"

"She did." Sophie muttered, equally stunned.

_"We're going to school out there so we can see you, again! Plus, I'm sure you're aware that the stupid cops out here still think your parents were druggies, so the apartment remains unoccupied to this day. But I broke in there and salvaged a whole bunch of stuff from your room and I'm bringing it all to you in a giant suitcase!" _

"I wish this was all a nightmare." Sonja grumbled.

"I wish she'd stop yelling." Sophie grimaced.

"_Now, we're closing an apartment deal and we hope you don't mind us staying at your place for just a few days. We plan to work for our food and board, so don't worry. EE!! I'm just so excited to see you again, Sonni! Okay then, ciao!" _

The DVD screen fizzled again and then went back to the opening where Sonja promptly shut it off.

"Time to move again." She declared.

"What?" Sophie exclaimed as Sonja got up and went over to the window. "Tell me you're joking."

Sonja smiled wryly and Sophie shivered.

"You know, you're creepy when you do that." She said.

"Yeah, I know."

Sophie scowled.

"Whatever. Eat something. I'm going to watch a movie."

"What movie?" Sonja asked as she took the Tupperware container of stew out of the fridge.

"_The Ring. _It's supposed to be a real spooker." Sophie said. She picked the tape box up off the sofa and held it up for Sonja to see. "I rented it a few days ago, but haven't watched it yet. I figured since it's due back tomorrow, I might as well."

Sonja just shook her head as Sophie popped the tape into the VCR and plopped down on the sofa to watch it.

"I'm eating in another room." Sonja declared, taking the container of cold stew with her out of the room. She personally hated horror movies and didn't care to test her limits like her sister did.

"Yup," she said as she closed the door in their room and sat down on the floor. "She's gonna be in here begging to sleep on the bottom bunk with me after watching that. I guarantee."

She took a bite of the stew and gagged, swallowing painfully.

"Yuck." She grimaced. "I really should have heated it up first."

Forty-five minutes following, Sonja was in the middle of the book when the cordless phone next to the bed began to ring. Simultaneously, Sophie started screaming "Don't answer! Don't answer! Don't answer!"

Ignoring her, Sonja picked up the phone as Sophie crept in, shivering and staring wildly. Sonja hung up.

"It was a telemarketer, you wimp." Sonja muttered. Sophie sighed and retreated back to the living room.

About an hour later, Sonja had choked down some more of the stew and was sitting against her mattress reading another book when—

"_EEEEEEaaaaggggh!"_

The door burst open and Sonja jumped as Sophie bolted inside, ducking underneath the blanket on the bottom bunk and whimpering.

Sonja just watched, sighed and returned to her book.

"I told you, Sophie." She said nonchalantly.

Sophie muttered something unintelligible and Sonja just smirked.

"You really ought to listen to me, you know." 

Sonja yawned and closed her book.

"All right. You can sleep on the bottom bunk. But remember, you brought this one on yourself."

She climbed up top and collapsed on the blanket fully clothed. She was too tired to change into her pajamas.

"Good night, you big scaredy cat." She mumbled.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off.

//ooo//

Sonja tossed in her sleep, moaning and struggling against something in her dreams.

"No…," she kept murmuring. Finally, she turned toward the opposite wall and shrieked as she toppled off the top bunk, landing hard on the floor with her right foot caught in the rungs of the ladder.

"Ow, Ow, Ow."

She picked herself up and sighed heavily. She looked up at the top bunk and scowled.

"Dang. I fell again."

She glanced at Sophie. She wasn't a bit surprised to see that Sophie was still sound asleep, unaffected by her sister's plight as she tried to right herself and free her leg from the ladder. She wrenched her trapped appendage free and sat up, nursing her bruised head.

"Now I remember why I hate sleeping on the top bunk." She said as she struggled to her feet and stumbled to the kitchen for some ice.

"I should have known better." She grumbled. "Sophie's a heavier sleeper than I am. That's why she never falls off the top."

She filled a plastic baggie with ice and held it to her head, jumping up to sit on the counter. She gazed out at the quarter moon hanging in the empty sky and sighed.

"Hard to believe," she said her eyes taking on a faraway look. "Nineteen years since I last saw them. I wonder if they'd even recognize me, now?"

She closed her eyes as she reminisced her dream that night, far off in a distant memory, a trip to a water park with her family.

_"Come on, Sam! I want to be first! There's a line!" _

_"Calm down, Sonja, you're looking at the wrong line. The one we want is completely empty." _

_"But one might start before we even get there! Hurry!" _

After she said that, she recalled Sam had started laughing. She'd found it immensely irritating at the time. But oh, what she wouldn't give to hear that laugh right now.

She let the ice bag slip from her head and onto the counter. She missed her older brother terribly, regretting every mean thing she may have said to him in the past. She'd take everything back, do anything just to see him again. But that would never happen. Sam was gone for good, just like everything else she ever loved. The only beloved thing she'd been able to salvage lay deeply asleep in the next room. And yet Sophie had no idea of the anguish and pain it had cost her older sister. All the years of suffering under Allan and being forced to give away everything she had, including her innocence. She curled her knees against her chest and sighed heavily.

It wasn't like it really mattered, now. What was done was done; there was no reversing it.

She scowled suddenly and glared outside. Why was she moping like this? Sam would have wanted her to move on and have a good life. And she had. She had built a better life for herself and for Sophie and she even had friends who cared about her. She chuckled when she thought of the last time she'd seen Joey. In the past three years, he'd been working toward becoming a police officer of the public safety division. After receiving his badge, he'd appeared at the shop declaring that if anyone ever tried to bother her and Sophie, he'd arrest them for life.

Thinking of her friends made her wonder what Kaiba was up to. She hadn't seen him in a few days, not since he'd informed her of the next trade show in Seattle. She figured he was probably getting ready for it.

She yawned and slid down off the counter, heading back into her room and pulling the blankets and pillow off, taking them out into the front room and arranging a makeshift bed for herself on the sofa. She snuggled down on the cushions and closed her eyes.

At least now if she fell again, it wouldn't hurt as much.

//ooo//

Sonja yawned the next morning as she sat down behind the counter in the shop, barely awake after a restless night of nightmares. She tied her long hair back into a braid and put her head down on the counter with a sigh.

"That's it. I'm never letting Sophie take the bottom bunk again." She grumbled.

As if on cue, Sophie suddenly burst into the store, fresh as a daisy.

"Hey, sis!" she exclaimed as Sonja raised her head. Sophie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her sister's face.

"Jeez, Sonja, you look awful!"

"Oh, thanks. What a wonderful thing to say." Sonja growled.

"You know what I mean. You look like death warmed over. Did you get any sleep?"

"Judging from the dark circles under my eyes and the fact that all of our tea is gone, what do you think?" Sonja snapped. Sophie jumped back.

"Sorry. I had some with Maya and Mokuba, yesterday."

At this, Sonja scowled. "Sophie, Mokuba doesn't even like tea. You found that out when we caught him pouring his into a plant, remember?"

Sophie hummed. "Well, I could go get you some tea. Would that help?"

Sonja sighed. "Yeah, it would. But you don't have to. I'll just take a nap at lunchtime. Thanks anyway."

Sophie smiled. "No problem. Let me know if you need anything."

"Where are you going?"

"Maya and I are going shopping for a birthday present for Mokuba. It's coming up."

Sophie giggled and made as though she were being overheard, peering left, right and out the store. "Personally," she said, "I'm pretty sure Maya's got a crush on him."

Sonja shook her head. "Ooh-boy. That'll make for one odd couple." She said.

"How so?" Sophie asked, tilting her head.

"Simple. Maya's a geek, and Mokuba's a little insane in the good way. They fight like cats and dogs."

Sophie smirked. "Sorta like you and a certain someone." She said.

Sonja tossed a plastic flowerpot at her. "Scram, you little smart mouth!" she yelled. She got up and chased Sophie out. "You're banished for the rest of the day! Be gone!"

Sophie cackled as she got out of range of her sister.

"See ya later, Sonni! I'll pick up some tea for you on the way back!" she called. Sonja sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, that girl's more of a teenager than I was. Actually, I wasn't really much of a teenager, come to think of it."

She started to turn around and was met by someone staring her down just barely a foot away. She yelped and jumped back, heart pounding. It took a minute to register who was standing there.

"Wha?"

The woman smirked. "Well, now, is that any way to greet an old friend? Jaw drooping like a fish?"

Sonja beamed. "I don't believe it! Mai!"

"Hey, Sonja." Mai said with a wink. "I almost didn't recognize you. Your hair wasn't that long last time."

Sonja smiled. "I tried to cut it. It grows too fast. How are you?"

Mai shrugged. "Could be better. I'm on vacation. It doesn't sound like it, but that stewardess job on that luxury cruise ship isn't as easy as it looks."

"Oh right, you went back to that. Still dueling daily?"

"Do birds fly? Though it gets a little tedious after awhile. Not everyone can duel all that well, so I often get bored and surrender a match just because I can't take it anymore."

Sonja blinked. "Woah, now that does not sound like you at all, Mai." She said. Mai shrugged.

"What are you gonna do? Now, are you going to invite me in, or make me stand out here in the blistering heat all day?"

Sonja laughed and held the door open for her as they went back inside. Mai sighed and leaned up against the wall.

"I see you sprung for air conditioning." She pointed out.

"Yeah. Sophie and I found out the hard way that summers on the east coast are hot outside, but sweltering inside. Besides, I had to for business purposes. The heat would wilt my plants."

Mai gazed around at the various fauna and nodded in approval. "Your stock is getting pretty tropical." She said.

"It sure is. I keep finding new places to help out and the plants get more and more foreign as time goes by. I actually had a Venus Flytrap in here last month."

"No kidding? Did anyone buy it?"

"Some geek who actually stuck his hand down into it to see if it was still alive. He even paid a tip, which I don't usually get."

"Nice job. So, how've things been going lately?"

Sonja was just about to pick up a potted fern and paused. "What do you mean?"

"I always found it astounding that you were the only non-blood relative besides Yugi who could put up with Kaiba. Are you two still getting along?"

Sonja sighed and turned around. "Honestly, it's like everyone's waiting for something." She grumbled. "Actually, I haven't seen him in a couple of days. But I have to attend a trade show with him next week in Seattle."

Mai's eyebrows rose. "Really? And why's that?"

"Because next to Yugi, I'm the only one he considers good enough to take along to a show where he demonstrates his virtual reality systems. I have to duel him every time we go to one of these things. Sometimes it's a few duels in just a couple of hours, demonstrating the new technology and stuff like that."

"I see. Have you won, yet?"

Sonja gave her a look that said "What do you think?"

Mai smirked again. "I thought as much. So, when's the trip?"

"Next Saturday. We'll be gone just three days. Sophie wanted me to get her a souvenir of the Space Needle, but the way he plans the schedule, there's no way. Plus, there's the little matter of a guest appearance from somebody I hate showing up to stay at my place while they close a deal on an apartment."

Mai hummed, thoughtful. Then, she smiled mysteriously.  
"Don't worry, hon. If they give you trouble, whoever they are, give me a ring. I'll take care of them."

"You're sweet, but no thanks." Sonja said. "From the way she sounded on the DVD she sent me, she seems pretty anxious to see us again. I just hope it isn't some big façade she's pulling just to find an excuse to turn our lives into a living hell."

"I hear ya." Mai answered.

She glanced at the clock behind Sonja and her eyes went wide.

"Jeez, is it that late, already?"

"Why? You gotta go somewhere?" Sonja asked.

"You bet. Believe it or not, I've got a date."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd ever go through with it, Mai." Sonja exclaimed. "Who's it with?"

"Did Tea ever tell you about my so-called fiancé? About five years ago?"

Sonja frowned in thought. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, he's some big-shot actor from Hollywood and he's been chasing me for years. I decided to give him one more chance to impress me."

"That's noble."

Mai snorted. "Hardly." She scoffed. "The guy tried to kidnap me using special effect ninjas. I'm just sick of putting up with his corny love letters, over-priced gifts of ridiculous things I'll never use and phone calls with sweet-nothings left on my answering machine."

Sonja giggled. "So what do you predict for his chances, Mai?"

Mai pretended to think, putting her finger to her lip in thought as she gazed at the ceiling. Then she winked at Sonja.

"Keep this under your hat, hon. I'd give him about a three at most."

"You're heartless." Sonja laughed.

"A girl's gotta be tough in this day and age." Mai answered. "I'll be hitting the road. Catch you later, Sonja."

"Drop by anytime." Sonja said as Mai left the shop. Sonja shook her head and sighed. "Boy have I got some weird friends." She said to herself.

A/N: * Space Cadet: Ever get called one 'cause you spaced out too much? That's basically what it means.

Cauryn Terenkey here with…well, Luna to be technical (we're in her room), I don't appear much in this chapter, but I acted out Arika perfectly, THAT part was fun XD I also got Sophie right too ^^ we tend to act out parts of the story to them right ^^ You'll definitely see me next chapter, as the more hysterical and slightly OOC moments are mine. Just know that Luna wont let me get me out of hand. I hope to see you next time!

Luna here. She's absolutely right. I won't let her get her too crazy with poor Kaiba. He's got enough as it is. ^_^ But he may have to watch out for…THE TAG TEAM!!!!! Dun dun dun!!


	2. Explanation

A/N: Whew! Sorry this took so long. I just graduated high school and I was on this huge trip. I'm in Washington State now for those of you who remember my little globetrotting ventures. I also had major writer's block for this whole chapter and it was all Cauryn Terenkey could do to keep me motivated. Big kudos to her! Also, if it weren't for my interventions, Kaiba would be severely ooc thanks to all her zany ideas. Fortunately, most of them can be modified so they'll still work. Keep an eye out!

Explanation

Kaiba had been unable to get an answer on the telephone at Sonja's shop so he was on his way over to pick up that month's reports. It was getting close to evening. He figured she'd probably close up the shop within the hour.

As he pulled up out front, he saw Sonja pulling a long green hose into the shop and close the door. He'd only ever seen her do this once and it was when the sprinkler system broke down.

He got out of the car and took his briefcase with him, heading over and opening the door.

She was inside, painstakingly watering each and every plant with the hose, which was attached to a sink or something in the back room, the rest of it snaking along the floor in loops and curves. He set his case down and went over.

"Sonja," he said.

She shrieked and whirled. He didn't have time to duck out of the way as she aimed the hose at him, blasting him with a surge of icy water. He stumbled backwards, coughing and glowered at her.

"What was that for?" he snapped, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Sonja stood stock still, the hose pouring water all over the floor as she stared at him.

"Um…hi?" she said awkwardly.

"Sonja," he snapped warningly. Sonja gulped, dropped the hose and ran into the back. He heard the squeak as she turned the water off and the sound of boxes falling over as she rummaged through them. She remerged with a towel, ran back over and then suddenly threw it over his head. He sighed in irritation and whipped it off, glaring at her. She had a weird look on her face.

"Yeah." She said. "Sorry about that. I was thinking about something and didn't hear you come in."

"I can tell." He growled. "I'll pretend that didn't happen. I came here because there was an invoice missing from last Monday in your report."

Sonja stared at him blankly a moment and then made a weird noise.

"Oh." She said. "Yeah, I had to fix a few mistakes. I can have it ready by tonight. And, again, I'm sorry about drenching you with the gardening hose."

Kaiba just turned and left the store without a word, still sopping wet when he drove off. Once he was out of earshot, Sonja started to snicker uncontrollably.

"Ooh, boy was he ever mad." She mumbled to herself, cackling.

She turned to the counter and started sorting through the files she'd drenched when she splattered him.

After she'd straightened most everything back out, she sat down and started searching for that file he'd mentioned.

The door ringed as someone came in behind her and she turned around. It was Sophie, staring around at the watery mess.

"Should I ask what happened?" she said hesitantly. Sonja started laughing again.

"I'll just tell you," she told her. She watched Sophie's face go from expressionless to a look of delighted horror.

"Oh, crud!" she yelled, covering her mouth. "I wish I could have been here to see that! I'll bet he was mad as heck!"

"If he was, he sure didn't show it well." Sonja said. "He seemed irritated, though."

Sophie folded her arms, giving her a smug look.

"I'm sure. After all, it's you, Sonja." She said slyly. Sonja gave her the 'evil eye'.

"What's that mean?" she demanded. Sophie shook her head and shrugged.

"You know what I mean. I doubt he'd really ever get mad at _you._"

Sonja scowled and straightened up from where she'd been kneeling and pruning a plant.

"Sophie, unless you're going to help me, I suggest you get lost." She grumbled. Sophie shrugged and turned toward the door, heading off down the sidewalk.

Sonja sighed and stared around her. She supposed the water would evaporate. She really didn't feel like drying it all up right now.

"I guess I'll get that file ready and close up early." She muttered. She reached beneath the counter where she kept a box full of sorted files for the current month and where she kept the one that he was looking for. She pulled it out, leafed through it and then shut it, leaving the shop and locking the door behind her.

"I suppose I'll try a new recipe." She said to herself as she climbed the stairs outside the store and unlocked the top door. It was getting late and she was feeling pretty drained. Business was in a bit of a peak right now and all she really wanted to do was go to bed. But she didn't like sleeping when it was light out, even if just a little bit. So she figured cooking might help.

As she flipped through her recipe book, she found two recipes she liked, but knew that she didn't have the ingredients to make both.

"I wonder if I could combine the two." She muttered to herself. She smirked. "Sure, why not? I'm feeling brave today."

But for one reason or another, Sonja was unable to concentrate on what she was doing:

"Agh! I added too much curry powder!"

Five minutes following this;

"Oh no, now it's too soupy!"

And five more minutes after this unfortunate event;

"_I can't get the spoon out!_" she wailed.

Now, she sat at the kitchen table with a glass of skim milk and a bland cheese sandwich, too irritated to eat after her disastrous cooking experience. She turned and cast a smoldering glance at the stove where her ruined attempt at a new recipe sat smoking.

"What was supposed to be Cajun combo ended up a huge mess." She mumbled, forcing herself to take a bite of sandwich.

As she was considering giving the rest to the birds on the roof, she heard the telltale sounds of someone climbing the stairs outside toward the top floor. It sounded hurried so she figured it had to be Sophie and her friends.

As if on cue, the front door burst open and Sophie pretty much fell inside as Maya tripped on something (probably her own feet) and fell on top of her.

"Maya, get off!"

"Sorry, I fell!"

Sonja didn't pay any attention. Maya was a klutz. They all knew that.

Mokuba appeared a few seconds later and shook his head.

"That's what you guys get for racing up stairs." He said.

"Oh, quit gawking and help us up!" Maya shrieked.

"Do you want to freak the neighbors?" Sophie snapped at her. Maya stuck her tongue out at her and got to her feet while Sophie sat up and glared. Then, she sniffed the air and grimaced.

"Okay, what smells like car exhaust mixed with moldy socks?" she said aloud. The other two sniffed as well and both made faces of disgust as they followed the smell to the stove where the pot still sat. Sonja glowered at them.

"Yuck, what'd you cremate, sis?" Sophie exclaimed.

"I tried mixing a Cajun gumbo with a recipe for vegetable stew I had. The remains of my Frankenstein is in that pot. Care for a taste?" she said, flipping her thumb in the direction of the smoldering pot. Sophie cautiously made her way over and took hold of the spoon, pulling both it and the pot up to her eye level. She grimaced.

"Uh, Sonni, I don't think you're going to like this." She said nervously. Sonja turned, took one look at the pot, let out an exasperated wail and plunked her head down on the table with a groan.

"My good stock pot." She mumbled. Sophie put the pot back down on the stove and turned to her friends. She cleared her throat.

"Um, how about we play some cards?" she suggested.

"Sure," Mokuba agreed. "How about Penny Poker?"

Maya whined. "I hate that game 'cause Sophie always wins." She said, tugging at her braids and shuffling her feet.

"You're such a baby, Maya." Sophie sneered playfully. "I tell you what. Instead of betting for pennies, how about we make a challenge?"

"Like what kind of challenge?" Mokuba questioned. Sophie smirked, an evil glint coming into her eyes. She glanced at Sonja with her chin on the table, a glazed look in her eyes.

"The loser has to eat whatever Sonja cremated and mummified."

Sonja snapped.

//ooo//

Kaiba pulled up to the curb and took out his briefcase as he got out of the car, slamming the door. As he was searching for the right key in the dark to lock it, he jumped and dropped them when he heard a high squeal and the door to the apartment slamming open. He whirled in time to see Maya, Mokuba and Sophie dash down the stairs shielding their heads as various kitchen utensils, two radishes and a sofa cushion came flying down after them.

"Hi bro! Bye bro! We'll be at Maya's if you need us!" Mokuba called out as he passed Kaiba. Kaiba just stared after them in bewilderment and then looked down at the mess of supplies Sonja had hurled at the three of them.

"And she claims _I'm_ overworked." He mumbled. He bent down to retrieve his keys from the gutter and locked the door.

As he picked up his briefcase and turned to double-check his car was locked properly, he heard a dull scraping noise seconds before something hard and heavy smacked him in the back of the head, knocking him against the car and temporarily stunning him. He shook his head, blinked the stars out of his eyes and instinctively reached back where his head throbbed rather painfully from the blow. He turned around and saw a dented poster board-backed binder lying on the sidewalk by his feet. He recognized it as the book Sonja kept her recipes in. He stared at it a minute before reaching down, scooping that up and stalking up the stairs, pretty confidant of a forming concussion.

He found the door slightly cracked down the middle from being slammed so hard. He had to wonder if Sonja even knew her own strength. It wasn't like this was abnormal, though. After all, she was a street kid.

When he tried to open the door, he jumped back when it fell partially off its hinges and swung listlessly back and forth.

Okay then.

"Sonja?" he said cautiously. When she was in a mood like this, he'd learned to tread lightly. These days, Sonja was extremely unpredictable and uncontrollable.

She was standing by the stove staring at a smoldering pot. The acknowledgment she gave of his presence was a brief turn of her head.

"I'd ask what happened, but then I'd have to care." He said irritably.

"Whatever." She mumbled. He set his case down on the table and shifted the book to his other hand.

"Is this yours, by any chance?" he grumbled. Sonja just glanced at it.

"Yeah."

"Watch where you're aiming next time, huh?" he growled. She just shrugged.

"Sorry."

She jumped up on the counter, sulking. Kaiba stared at her a moment and then turned to the pot on the stove. He wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled moldy. He decided not to ask.

"I came for that file." He said.

Sonja just stared at him, sighed and then jumped down.

"I'll get it. You couldn't have picked a worse time to come here, you know."

Kaiba rolled his eyes.

He opened his briefcase and retrieved the rest of the folder containing that month's report. After a few minutes, Sonja came back in, looking a little less irritated.

"Here." She said, handing him the report. He looked it over and frowned.

"Sonja, there's a bunch of it missing." He pointed out.

"Well I hadn't finished it!" she yelled. She whirled, threw open a kitchen drawer, whipped something out and then stalked over to the sofa, plopping down and letting out a frustrating, hissing breath as she opened a book. Why she kept reading material in kitchen drawers, Kaiba had to wonder. But he knew better than to say anything. Sonja could get a tad violent when she wanted to, such as apparently chasing Sophie, Maya and his little brother out of the apartment like that. He figured he should probably tell her that that stuff was still out there lying in the road. He wasn't sure why, but ever since Allan's sentencing, her moods had changed. It almost seemed like she was going on a spree of new emotions, freeing up all of the pent up feelings she'd been unable to show during the time when Allan walked free. But now that she was able to express herself like she wanted, she only ended up confusing herself and acted weird as a result. He had to wonder how he knew all of this. She was the only person who actually kind of scared him on occasion.

But despite all this, he always remembered that she had a gentle side to her nature that could be brought out with simple things like tea, or reading a book. Of all the things he'd learned since Allan had been taken away, the most prominent was that tea did wonders for her moods.

Now, however, it was best to say nothing. Sometimes, though, fate intervenes on such decisions.

"Hey," she said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Do you know the number for a good repairman?" she asked, looking up.

The memory of the de-hinged door came to mind and he internally grimaced.

"No." he replied.

She remained silent for several minutes, apparently thinking it over.

"Oh. Fine." She said finally. She returned to her book.

It took twenty minutes or so for Kaiba to finish transcribing the newly acquired files into his systems. So the next time he looked over at Sonja, he was surprised to see that she'd put her book down and was watching him pensively.

"What?" he muttered.

"I feel there's something I should tell you." She said seriously. She had a tendency to wear a pretty good poker face when she was serious. It was almost impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"What's that?"

But she got up and set her book down.

"Never mind. I'll tell you tomorrow." She said, yawning. "I'm beat. You know the way out."

With that, she went into her room and shut the door. He heard the lock click into place and wondered if she'd forgotten Sophie for the moment. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. She could be as stubborn as he was from time to time. It was useless.

Besides, it couldn't be all that important if she didn't want to tell him right then.

As he was packing up to leave after completing the transcription, he heard the door swing on its hinges and turned to see Sophie and Mokuba returning, both staring bewilderedly at the door.

"All right then," Sophie muttered, "I think I'll leave Sonja alone for a little while."

"Will the insurance cover this, Seto?" Mokuba asked, pushing the door back and forth.

"Probably not." Kaiba replied, shutting his briefcase and facing them.

"Dang." Sophie grumbled. "Oh well, how much can a new door cost anyway?"

She tried to close it and managed to wedge it into its frame with a sickening splintery noise.

"Well, if anyone tries to break in, we'll hear them." She said. "Is Sonja asleep?"

"I'd assume." Kaiba said tonelessly. "She mentioned something, however."

"What about?"

"She didn't say, only that she felt it was something I should know. Any ideas?"

Sophie frowned in thought.

"Well, it could be about that package we got yesterday."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Package?"

"Yeah! It's from our home address code. See, we didn't actually come from Osaka. Our house was really in Nara, southeast from Osaka."

She hesitated and shuffled her feet.

"Do you remember…back in Noah's virtual world when he probed Sonja's memories?"

Kaiba nodded and Mokuba appeared nervous. Both the sisters hated talking about their pasts.

"Well, do you remember Arika? That bully?"

"How could I forget?" Kaiba growled.

Sophie cleared her throat.

"Yeah. It was from her. It was a DVD recorded message. She and her brother Daichi are coming to stay with us until their apartment deal goes through. They're going to attend school out here."

Kaiba's eyes widened and Mokuba made a choking noise.

"You're kidding! Wasn't she the one you told me always used to dump mayonnaise in your hair?"

Sophie nodded dejectedly.

Kaiba couldn't think of anything to say that would suffice. No wonder Sonja had changed her mind. He frowned.

"I see." He said. "Sophie, when are they arriving?"

"I don't know. She didn't say. But I figure she'll probably call."

"What do you plan to do about this?"

Sophie shrugged. "Who knows?"

They all turned suddenly as the faint sound of music drifted in from the back room and Sophie sighed.

"There she goes again." She said with a limp wave of her arm.

"What?" Mokuba asked.

" Pachelbel Cannon in D Major. She turns it on whenever she's in a quirky mood and it calms her down. She never gets sick of it, but I am!"

She covered her ears as the song grew slightly louder.

"I'm out!" Sophie grumbled, whirling and stomping outside. Mokuba threw his brother a bewildered glance and shook his head.

Kaiba just rolled his eyes.

//ooo//

A few days later, Kaiba sat at his desk watching the sun set over the water. For once, everything had gone smoothly and he'd be able to go home early. But what Sophie had told him the other day bothered him to no end. He remembered Arika from the memory sequence Noah had shown them five years ago. If Arika were as Sonja remembered, the sisters could possibly be in real trouble. He supposed his best bet was to talk to Sonja directly and see what her thoughts on it were.

As he was packing his computer up in case he needed to work from his home office, the phone started to ring on the business line. He answered it as he closed his briefcase.

"Seto Kaiba." He said.

"_Hey, it's Sonja." _

"I sort of figured."

_"Listen…I need a favor." _

Kaiba frowned. "What is it?"

She was silent for a few minutes and he started to wonder if the call got disconnected.

"_Can you come over here? I need to explain something." _

Kaiba hummed. "Yeah." He said. "When?"

"_Just…whenever." _She replied. Something was up. Usually she was quick to speak whatever was on her mind, whether it offended someone or not. She didn't usually falter in her sentences like this.

"Fine." He said. "See you in a bit."

"_Thanks."_

The line went dead. He wondered if this had anything to do with Arika. He hung up the phone, grabbed his case off his desk and headed for the door. All the way down, he kept wondering why Sonja hadn't told him about Arika coming to Domino specifically to see her and her sister. After knowing each other for five years, he'd thought she trusted him a little more than that. But he supposed she had her reasons and the right to keep secrets.

When he arrived outside the shop, he found her out on the sidewalk with a mop, washing down the window. She turned around when she heard the car pull up and dropped the mop into the bucket beside her.

"Thanks for coming." She said as he approached.

"What's wrong?" he asked skeptically. She just turned and went inside so he rolled his eyes and followed.

The inside of the shop was quiet, as always. But the place seemed different, somehow. He wanted to ask what had changed, but she was typing away at her aging computer.

"Wait a second." She told him. Finally, she hit the ENTER button and pulled the computer over to the left. That was when Kaiba realized what was different about the place. She was burning incense. He could see it behind her, the little sticks trailing threads of blue smoke into the air.

"Sonja," he started to say.

"I need your advice." She said. That's when he noticed her eyes were red. She'd been crying. He became concerned and moved to the desk.

"What…?" he began, but fell silent.

Sonja looked back at her computer and then at him.

"I found mom."

A/N: I hope you found this chapter funny. I certainly had a fun time writing it. Sonja and Sophie have been immortalized on my senior block project at school along with all my other characters. It's a section of block I chose in ceramics class to paint whatever I wanted on it for an exam grade and I put all my characters created during high school. Sonja and Sophie are up there! Yay!!!


	3. Devil at The Door

A/N: Okay, I decided to update early because I made you guys wait so long for the last chapter. And Cauryn, since I'm 2600 miles away at the moment, this chapter goes for your idea with Kaiba. Watered down to make him more IC, that is. ^_^ You'll like it.

Devil at The Door

The air in the room became extremely dry and the silence was deafening. Sonja continued to stare at her computer screen as Kaiba continued to stare at her.

"You found your mother?" he muttered.

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Is this what you wanted advice for?" he asked quietly. He understood why she was upset. In a sense, she was an orphan just like he was. But whereas his parents were both dead, hers had been missing since Allan's cronies ransacked her home and been arrested on false drug charges.

"Yeah." She said. Her heard her voice cracking. She was doing everything she could think of not to cry in front of him. It was a noble effort, but he knew that he had to think of something or she'd just break down right there.

"Where?" he asked.

Sonja glanced at him wearily. "A rather peaceful location in Hiroshima." She answered.

"A nursing home?" he ventured.

"A cemetery." She corrected him. His eyes widened.

"She's dead?"

Sonja nodded and shoved the computer toward him. He turned it around and found an article open on the screen. It was an obituary from the Hiroshima newspaper.

Isabelle Maryann Gavens

**Estimated 52 years of age, Isabelle Gavens passed away on November 17****th**** 2008 at Hiroshima Central Clinic of chronic heart failure. She is remembered by friends in Nara and is apparently survived by two children and a husband. The pre-mentioned relatives cannot be reached at this time. **

Kaiba stopped there. He glanced up at Sonja. She was busily stripping a dandelion of its leaves and petals.

"I see." He said at last, gently pushing the computer back over. She returned it to its diagonal place on the counter and set the naked plant down on the glass surface, the leaves and petals lying listlessly around the stem. It was a pretty sorry sight.

"So one parent down." She muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know where mom is. Now if I can just find dad." She said. "I've been looking for them for months. I haven't told Sophie because I don't want to get her hopes up."

She turned away and rifled through her messy file cabinet. Kaiba watched her concernedly.

"Sonja," he said hesitantly. "Do you have any idea if your father is still alive?"

Sonja paused in her sorting and stared at the wall, seemingly seeing right through it.

"I hope so. I'd really love to see him again. With every other family member dead, he and Sophie are all I'd have. It'd be great to let him know we're still alive and doing okay."

She fell silent. Kaiba wasn't sure what to say. The fact that she was actually discussing her family was shocking enough as it was. But for someone with as much pride as she had to actually admit how much she missed her remaining parent was unbelievable. He frowned in contemplation.

"I have to get back to work." He told her.

"Okay. Thanks."

As he turned to leave, he heard her go into the back room and winced as a box fell over and she started grumbling.

He was tempted to mention Arika and Daichi, but figured he'd try later. He'd get Sophie to watch the tape again and tell him when she was supposed to arrive if she mentioned it. He wanted to get back to the office as soon as possible.

On the way, he silently cursed whoever invented timed traffic lights.

//ooo//

Ursula had recently returned from visiting her son and his children and glanced up when Kaiba entered the building.

"Good afternoon." She said pleasantly. She was the only faculty member in the building besides Roland who didn't find Kaiba's mere presence overwhelmingly intimidating.

"Ursula, what do you know about first names?" he asked out of the blue. Ursula blinked and cocked an eyebrow.

"You'll have to rephrase the question. I have no idea what you're talking about." She said bewilderedly. Kaiba sighed irritably.

"How common is the first name, 'Damon'?" he asked.

Ursula frowned and scratched her chin.

"Well, Jake and his wife found it in two out of five baby books. It's Greek, meaning 'To Tame'. It's a form of Damian, but it's more commonly derived as—"

All this time, Kaiba had been leaning on the counter with half his face covered by his hand, his visible eye rolling upward until he finally straightened up and snapped, "I didn't ask for the history of the name, Ursula!"

"Well be clear on that next time, smarty!" Ursula snapped back, glaring at him.

"Ursula, if you were anyone else, you'd be fired right now." He grumbled. She smiled innocently.

"How sweet of you to say!" she chimed. Kaiba sighed in irritation.

"Look, I just wanted to know how popular the name was about fifty years ago."

"What do I look like, a seer? Humph. Well, the website and baby books all said that the name has never been the most popular of names because it's other form, Damian and it's various, well, variations, are sometimes translated as the name of the devil. In other words, it's not and never has been a very popular or common name."

"Thank you." He said in exasperation. He turned to head upstairs.

"Why this interest in names, there?" Ursula called.

"Mind your own business, Ursula." Kaiba grumbled as he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed.

"Dollars to doughnuts it's got something to do with Sonja." Ursula mumbled gleefully.

//ooo//

As Ursula predicted, the name Damon hadn't been popular for a long time. It was easy to locate the name combined with the unusual last name Gavens to search up two individuals remaining in Japan in the Nara area. After hacking a few websites, he discovered that while one Damon Gavens was two years old and had recently moved to Nara with his family from Hokkaido, the other one was in his late fifties and was living alone in Nara.

It took three hours, but he used an online Japanese phone directory, an online translator and translated every page so he could read it until he found Damon Gavens' address. He also found an old work email address on the site he discovered Damon's living conditions on. He copied and pasted it into a file on his desktop and then opened an email composition. He knew it was a long shot, but it was worth a try. His parents were long dead, but Sonja's father at least was still alive. There was nothing wrong with trying to help her see him again. He started his message:

**Mr. Damon Gavens,**

**My name is Seto Kaiba, of Kaiba Corp. You will very likely wonder why I am sending this to you, as well as how I got your email address. Long story short, my intentions are harmless. I mean only to inform you of your daughters' whereabouts. Sonja is a friend of mine and wishes to see you again. **

He kept it simple and as informal as he could manage. He wanted to see what Damon's reaction would be. When he went to send the message, he couldn't think at first of what it should say. Finally, he decided to put Sonja's name on the subject line. He figured that of all things would get his attention if he still checked his email.

He took a deep breath and hit SEND. Then he leaned back and folded his arms, gazing blankly at the computer screen.

All he could do now was wait.

//ooo//

That evening, Kaiba was just finishing up some last minute work when the phone rang on the other line. The ID said it was from the Gavens' sisters and he hoped it was Sophie with information on the wayward visitors they were expecting.

"Seto Kaiba." He said into the speaker.

_"Bleh! Hah!" _

Kaiba sighed. "Hello, Sophie." He mumbled. She had a strange habit of greeting people she called by making faces into the phone. It sounded like she was going to be sick on the receiving end, though. He figured she likely wasn't aware of this.

_"Aww, how'd you know it was me?" _

"Lucky guess."

Sophie cracked up. _"Nice. Anyway, Arika called this afternoon. She said she and Daichi are arriving tomorrow evening. I figured you'd want to know." _

"Thanks." He said.

_"No problem. Hey wait'll you hear what happened to Maya today! She—"_

Kaiba rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. Sophie wouldn't even notice and would keep jabbering on about one thing or another. That girl was so hyper sometimes it was scary. At least now he knew when they were arriving. He wondered how he should react to this. He decided he'd worry about it when the time came. For now, he was tired.

//ooo//

The next morning, Sonja sat downstairs in the shop playing with a caterpillar she'd discovered munching on her tulips. She let it crawl through her hands and set it on her head to crawl around while she got some dead leaves for it to eat. She fished it out of her hair and set it on the leaves, watching as it chewed a minute hole in the center of one and then curling into a ball, spooked by something. As she scooped it up to set it back outside, she heard the door open and glanced up.

"Freeze!"

Sonja rolled her eyes as Joey the police officer stormed inside, assumed a weird bow-legged stance and scowled around the shop.

"I got a call about a bend of rules here!" he announced.

"Oh, and what bend of ruling would be found here, oh honorable officer of the law?" Sonja asked, dropping the caterpillar into a flowerpot beside her. It quickly burrowed beneath the soil, out of sight.

"For not paying attention to me waving at you outside the window, that's what!" Joey yelled, pointing. Sonja smirked.

"How horribly rude of me. I'll have to ground me for a month." She drawled. Joey rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Sarcasm. I oughta arrest you for that." He snapped.

"Come on, Joey, be serious. How are you?" Sonja asked, leaning on the counter. Joey sighed, scratching his head.

"Pretty good. I talked to Serenity the other day."

"You make it seem like that's a bad thing." Sonja pointed out in curiosity. Joey sighed again.

"Well, remember that Devlin creep?"

"Duke? Yeah, I remember him."

"Serenity's going out with him now." Joey whined. Sonja shook her head and groaned.

"Joey, what's so wrong with that? If Serenity's happy, shouldn't you be happy too?"

"But I hate that weirdo!" Joey yelled.

"If you hated him so much, why did you spend so much time with him when the Battle City Tournament was going on?" Sonja grumbled.

"Only 'cause the others like him!" Joey snapped, folding his arms.

"So if the others all set fire to themselves, would you follow suit?" Sonja asked wryly.

"Now that's just dumb." Joey growled. "I just want Serenity to be happy." He told her.

"Well, if she seems the least bit unhappy, she'd tell you, wouldn't she?" Sonja probed.

"Well, yeah, I suppose she would."

"And if she genuinely likes him, don't you think you should trust that Serenity knows best?"

Joey frowned. "I…I guess. I just don't want her getting hurt, is all."

Sonja smiled. "I understand, Joey. Remember, I've got a little sister too. If Serenity is unhappy, she'll tell you. So in the meantime, back away a little and give her some space to make her own choices."

Joey nodded and smiled half-heartedly.

"I'll try. But it ain't gonna be easy!" he admitted. He jumped when the radio at his side buzzed in.

"Gotta split, Sonja. Keep it real!" he yelled as he hurried outside to the squad car parked by the curb. As he roared off, Sonja glanced over at her caterpillar and sighed.

She was startled out of her reverie when the phone rang suddenly. She picked it up and cradled it under her chin.

"Gavens' Flower Emporium, Son—"

"_SONJA!" _

Sonja yelped and dropped the phone, tangling her arm in the cord and pulling the cradle down with her as she fell of the stool in a heap on the floor. Groaning, she listened to Arika's shrill voice screeching into the speaker. She didn't bother to hurry and pick up the phone. With how loud Arika was at the moment, she could hear her from three feet away while she detangled herself from the cord and straightened her work area.

"_Listen, listen! Daichi and I are arriving tonight! Isn't that great! Don't bother cooking anything, we'll pick something up for you guys and save you the trouble. I've been taking cooking classes and I have to say that I make a mean meatloaf!" _

Sonja made a face.

_"Now listen, we'll be there around seven or so. I just wanted to let you know ahead of time. I don't remember if I told you already, but we have a big green suitcase filled with things from your old apartment. It's a little dusty, but it'll wash. I'd have done it myself, but I didn't have time. Mom was anxious to see us outta there." _

"Yeah, I'll bet she was." Sonja mumbled. She finally picked up the phone now that Arika had stopped yelling.

_"Okay, so what do you like in the food department?" _

"Uhh…."

_"No wait let me guess. Mexican!" _

"Just whatever." Sonja sighed.

_"Korean takeout it is then! So, I'll see you later this evening. I want to hear all about how your life has been. I've missed you! Bye Sonni!" _

Sonja stared at the speaker on the phone and sighed. She hung up and stared out the window. The sunlight streamed in and provided nourishment for her plants. She got up and went into the back, dragged out three huge bags of fertilizer and then locked up for an hour, too depressed to stay in the shop anymore. It wasn't usually busy on Wednesdays anyway.

Sophie had a day off that day and was upstairs in her butterfly pajamas, eating cereal and watching early morning cartoons. She glanced up at Sonja and grinned.

"Hey sis!" she called. "What's up?"

"I just got a call from Arika. They're coming tonight." Sonja told her. She got out the oatmeal and put a pan on the stove.

Sophie growled and changed the channel to an old _I Love Lucy _rerun.

"Gag me." She grumbled. Sonja smiled and turned the stove on.

"I don't think I'll work in the shop today." She announced. "I think for once, I'll relax today and watch a movie. How does that sound?"

Sophie gave her a double thumbs up.

"Tubular!" she exclaimed. Sonja grimaced.

"You've been watching way too many old movies, Sophie."

Sophie just grinned.

//ooo//

"Sophie already told me." Mokuba said to his brother. Kaiba was working at home for a change. A sudden migraine had driven him out of the office. Mokuba was convinced it was because he was pushing himself too hard. And as usual, Kaiba ignored him.

But now they were discussing Arika and Daichi's arrival that evening at the Gavens'. Mokuba was concerned from all the stories Sophie had told him about them from when she and Sonja were kids.

"I think we should go over there. You know, for support and that sort of thing." He said. He was sitting over on the sofa and leafing through a comic book. Kaiba ceased typing for the moment and stared at his desk. The truth was, he'd been thinking of doing the same thing. He wouldn't openly admit that he was worried about Sonja. Lately, it seemed as though everything was threatening to bring hers and Sophie's lives down to a grinding halt. After all, his original reason for protecting her was to help Mokuba keep his new friend he'd found in Sophie. Now that Sonja had been a legal adult for several years, there was no real need to protect them, but he still found himself paying a visit now and then.

"Actually," he mumbled, "I was considering that very thing." He said to his brother.

"For real?" Mokuba exclaimed. Kaiba nodded once.

"I don't trust this situation. I also don't trust Arika from what I already know about her. It would probably be best to be there in case the situation gets out of control."

Mokuba grinned.

"Good plan." He said. He chewed his lip in thought. "Sophie said they'd be arriving sometime tonight. Our best bet would be to be there around six or something."

Then it was settled.

//ooo//

That night, despite what Arika had said, Sonja was busy with some chicken curry on the stove. Sophie had gone into their room and hadn't reappeared since. Sonja wondered whether she was hiding or setting up a bomb shelter. When Sophie finally did come back out, she was wearing a crash helmet, hockey gloves, a bulletproof vest and Wellington boots. Sonja could only gape in amazement and horror.

"Sophie, where on earth did you get all that junk?" she exclaimed. Sophie put her hands on her hips (more or less) and glowered from within the crash helmet.

"These are all confiscated items that Joey let me borrow. The vest is actually his personal one that he told me I could keep for as long as Arika remains here."

Sonja covered her eyes and groaned. But she kept her mouth shut and returned to her curry. She let her mind wander while she added what she thought was paprika. She'd taken down a bottle of cayenne pepper and Sophie noticed as she poured some in.

"Uh, sis?" she stammered.

"What?"

"Never mind." Sophie said quickly. Sonja raised an eyebrow and returned to her daydreaming as she added the vegetables.

When there was a knock at the front door, Sophie ran to answer it and freak out whoever was there with her weird costume.

It worked. If it weren't for Kaiba standing right there to grab him, Mokuba would have fallen down the stairs.

"What's with the odd getup?" Kaiba asked blandly.

"Protection." Sophie answered as if it were the plainest thing in the world. The brothers exchanged bewildered looks and followed her inside. Mokuba immediately started bugging Sophie about her costume and Kaiba simply stood behind a table chair, watching bemusedly.

"Quite a pair, I'd say." Sonja mused, coming up behind him. He turned slightly.

"Hn."

"They're only missing Curly Joe and they'd be the perfect Three Stooges." She said.

Kaiba allowed himself to smirk a little at this. Truth was that he was too edgy.

"What's wrong? Are you sleeping okay? You look out of it." Sonja said.

"I'm fine." He grumbled. He turned as Mokuba ran over to the stove, sniffing what Sonja was making.

"Cool! It's curry! Hey, is it ready yet, Sonja?" he asked.

"Almost. You're welcome to have a taste." She said as she went into the back room. Kaiba went over to stand next to his brother, watching as he fished a spoon out of the silverware drawer and took a bit out of the pot.

"Your one fatal weakness." Kaiba teased.

Mokuba stuck his tongue out before popping the spoon into his mouth.

"Mmm." He said. "Try some, bro!"

"No." Kaiba told him flat outright.

"Come on," Mokuba insisted. Kaiba backed away.

"No, Mokuba." He grumbled.

Mokuba scowled. "If Sonja heard this, she'd be insulted." He said.

"Sonja never cared before and now shouldn't be any different." Kaiba retorted. He'd gotten a little wary now. Mokuba had gotten taller in the last few years and this new height gave him more of an edge. This argument could go either way.

"Just try it." Mokuba insisted.

"No."

"Come on, just try it!"

They glared at each other and Kaiba realized that neither one was willing to back down. This could go on for awhile so he figured he'd be the one to end it.

"Fine." He growled.

//ooo//

Sonja was busy arranging the bedroom for Arika and Daichi. She and Sophie would use the pullout bed in the sofa. As he was taking the sheets off to wash them, she heard a metallic clanging coming from the kitchen and loud voices.

"Oh boy. What'd they do this time?" she mumbled, dropping the sheets and heading for the door.

She found a chaotic mess in the kitchen area with Sophie in her assorted junk costume trying to break up a heated argument between the brothers.

"Come on, cut it out you guys!" Sophie yelled.

Sonja hurried over and got in between them, pushing Kaiba backward while Sophie got Mokuba into a wristlock.

"Okay, what happened?" Sonja snapped, glaring at the crock-pot on the floor with the ruined curry strewn about the linoleum. Mokuba was the first to speak up.

"I tried some curry and it was good, Sonja. I just wanted Seto to try it too."

"Oh no." Sophie muttered. "Mokuba, Sonja added a lot of cayenne pepper in by mistake. What's tasty to you is often poisonous to the rest of us normal people." She admonished irritably.

"You don't have to tell me the rest, I can figure it out." Sonja said. She glanced over at Kaiba who was standing a few feet away with the weirdest look on his face. He was trying very hard to salvage his dignity and ignore the fact that he clearly wanted some water. Sonja noticed this, rolled her eyes and quickly shoved Mokuba and Sophie into the next room with the orders as Mokuba's punishment to make the beds for Arika and Daichi when they arrived.

"Sorry about that." Sonja said as she got a glass down from the cupboard and filled it with ice water. She handed it to him and shook her head. "I added it by mistake. I'd better clean up this mess."

He sipped the water as the burning began to subside.

"Thanks." He said.

"No problem. Never a dull moment here, I tell you." She said as she swept the curry mixture into the dustpan and then got the mop out after she threw the stuff away.

"Hm." He just said.

Sonja finished cleaning up and sat down at the table, tracing the wood patterns with her finger. Kaiba slowly moved over and sat down a few feet away, watching her carefully. She noticed.

"What?"

He didn't answer. He looked away and pushed the glass a few inches away from him.

"Hey." She mumbled. "Why'd you guys come here anyway?"

Kaiba listened to make sure Sophie and Mokuba were still out of earshot.

"I didn't want you to have to face them alone." He said quietly. Sonja froze up and then looked away.

"That wasn't necessary." She said coldly. But he could see she was grateful for the support. He knew she that was scared, but that she'd rather cut her tongue out than admit it to anyone. He slowly reached his hand out and placed it over hers, surprising her. But while she refused to look at him, she didn't pull her hand away.

Seven was rapidly approaching. Mokuba and Sophie had finished with the sheets and were sitting on the sofa flipping through channels. Neither one was really watching anything. Sophie kept looking at the clock. Mokuba elbowed her gently and smiled at her.

Sonja kept staring at the table. Her face was beginning to betray how nervous she felt. Safe within her own mind, she was glad that he was there.

Finally, they heard it: The sound of a car pulling up and doors slamming, the sounds of people climbing the steps and finally, the sound of knocking on the door. Sonja glanced at Kaiba who gave her an encouraging nod. She got up to answer the door. He got to his feet as well and picked up the glass again.

Sonja cautiously opened the door. She stared outside and blinked.

"Arika?"

A red blur exploded inside and crashed into Sonja, sending them both sprawling.

"Sonni! It's so great to see you, I've missed you guys like you wouldn't believe!" Arika shrieked, perched on Sonja's chest and beaming down at her poor stunned captive. Kaiba rolled his eyes and went over to the sink for some more water.

"Arika, get the heck off of me!" Sonja growled. Arika leapt up, pulling Sonja to her feet and clapping her hands.

"Sorry. Got a little excited there." She said, running her hand through her long red ponytail. Sonja spotted Daichi coming up the steps with the suitcases. He glanced up at her and nodded.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey yourself." Sonja replied. She looked down at Arika's three large suitcases.

"Is uh, this everything?" she asked.

"Yup. That big green one is filled with things we salvaged from your old apartment!" she exclaimed. "You can open it whenever you feel like. Oh, we also brought home some roast beef sandwiches we picked up at the store!" she shrieked, holding up a plastic bag.

"Uh, I don't really eat meat much anymore." Sonja said. Arika gaped at her like a fish.

"Weirdo!" she gasped. She straightened up and turned to look at Sophie and Mokuba. She let out a shrill squeal when she saw Sophie and hurried over.

"You're so freaking adorable! I can't believe how big you got! We simply must go shopping for you!" she gushed.

"But I have clothes." Sophie said for Sonja's sake. That comment had to have embarrassed her big time.

Arika's face took on a sly expression when she spotted Mokuba.

"And who do we have here? A little boyfriend?" she teased Sophie.

"No!" Sophie exclaimed. "Yuck!"

"Double-yuck!" Mokuba gagged. "We're friends."

"Mm-hmm. Sure." Arika mused. She turned back to Sonja. "Okay, that's taken care of."

Kaiba turned away. He really didn't trust Arika. He took another drink from the water.

"Now," Arika said. "Introduce Daichi and me to your boyfriend, here."

Sonja jumped as the sound of choking coughs could be heard from behind her. She cast a sideways glance at Kaiba who had put the glass in the sink and was glowering in their direction.

"You okay over there?" Sonja asked warily. Kaiba just sighed heavily and leaned against the counter, folding his arms.

Sonja looked back at Arika, almost laughing at her confused, bewildered look.

"Listen, Arika. He isn't my boyfriend. We're only friends who enjoy visiting each other."

Arika shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Who is he, then?" she demanded.

"His name is Seto. He's a good friend." Sonja answered. Arika's jaw dropped.

"Wait. Seto, as in Seto Kaiba? The technical genius who revolutionized the game of Duel Monsters as we know it?"

"Uh…." Sonja stumbled on her words. Kaiba just looked away, slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"This is unbelievable! You're friends with the infamous Seto Kaiba! How awesome is that!?"

Sonja cast a quick glance at him and then laughed nervously.

"Okay, uh, why don't you and Daichi go into the bedroom and get yourselves situated?" she suggested.

"Best idea I've heard since microwave pancakes!" Arika exclaimed. She heaved her suitcases up, leaving the green one and stomped into the bedroom with Daichi close behind. Kaiba glanced at Mokuba and tilted his head to the right.

"We're going to get going." He told Sonja. Mokuba shook Sophie's hand and then barreled down the stairs. Sophie, sensing that Kaiba had something important to tell Sonja, slipped outside and proceeded to trip on her own feet and tumble down the stairs after Mokuba. They heard him yell as she apparently landed on top of him.

"Listen," Kaiba told her quietly, "If they give you trouble, call me. Okay?"

Sonja nodded.

"Thanks, but I should be fine." She answered. She glanced over at the hallway and he knew she was lying. She was remembering all the things Arika had done to her over the years and thinking of what she might be capable of now.

"Remember, I get by on very little sleep." He said as he started for the door. In his talk, she translated that to mean that she could reach him at almost any hour.

"I know," she said. "And thanks."

He shut the door behind him and paused at the bottom of the stairs to break up a hair-tug-of-war between Sophie and Mokuba, gently pushing Sophie toward the stairs and dragging his brother away by the arm. He knew Sonja could handle herself, but he was still concerned. He wanted to know why Arika had decided to find Sonja and Sophie again after all these years. He wanted to know what they wanted.

//ooo//

Sonja watched as they drove away and then closed the window. Whenever he was around, she always felt a little safer. She supposed that was why she trusted him so much. Excepting the first few months they'd known each other, she'd always felt safe with him. She knew the reason he'd come over before Arika and Daichi arrived and she was extremely appreciative. If he hadn't been there to back her up if necessary, she might have had some trouble.

But this still left her concerned about what the future would hold.

_Crash! _

"Sorry!" Arika called. "I hope that wasn't some priceless family heirloom, or something!"

Sonja sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. Yup. This was going to be one interesting rest of her life.

A/N: Okay, I hope you liked that teensy little bit of fluff I threw in. Note the two genres this story is set in, now.


	4. Departure

A/N: This chapter is a lot longer than the others. 1,000 words longer, actually. There's something kind of semi-cute here. I'm flying back to MI tomorrow afternoon so I'll be tired and won't update for a while. Here's this new update to keep you busy while I rest from my flight.

Departure

The day before she was supposed to leave for the trade show with Kaiba proved very eventful in all kinds of ways. Starting from the moment she woke up, things went from bad to worse.

"Sonja?"

Sonja moaned and snuggled into her blanket. Arika and Daichi had spent the entire night before arguing about who was going to have the bottom bunk in the other room.

"Hey, Sonja, wake up."

"Go far away, Sophie. Like Kalamazoo for instance." Sonja growled.

"But Sonja, I smell smoke."

Here, Sonja's eyes shot open and she bolted up in alarm.

"Smoke?!"

"Yeah. It's coming from our room!"

Sonja flung the covers back and threw her shoes on despite her usual pajamas consisting of red sweatpants and a T-shirt. She figured if there were a fire, she'd need the shoes to get her and Sophie to the street.

She tiptoed over to the bedroom door, was about to grasp the knob and turn it when—

"_Wuuuaaaahhh_!"

The door burst open and Arika rushed out in a skimpy bathrobe and collided with Sonja, knocking both of them down with Sonja on her stomach cradling the side of her face and tapping the floor irritably. Arika had ended sprawled across Sonja's back crying her eyes out.

"What's wrong, Arika." Sonja growled out.

"Sonni!" Arika screeched, grabbing Sonja's neck and hugging her. Sonja signaled to Sophie for help before Arika either suffocated her or broke her neck at the odd angle she was holding it. Sophie ran over and yanked Arika off her sister while Sonja got to her feet and braced in case Arika decided to launch herself at her again. But Arika just slumped against the wall, still sobbing hysterically. At this moment, Daichi, fully dressed, came out of the bedroom and scratched his head.

"What happened?" Sonja asked him.

But he didn't answer. He just slid past her and went into the kitchen. Sonja scowled after him and turned her attention back to Arika.

"What happened, Arika?" she repeated.

"I t-tried to s-straighten my h-hair!" she stammered. "But I d-don't have a hair iron, so I…."

"So you did what?" Sonja asked. That's when she noticed that Arika's hair was smoldering. She slapped a hand over her eyes and groaned.

"Arika, please don't tell me you used my iron on your hair!" she moaned.

"Well, it was sitting in the room and I didn't want to wake you so I figured… but look at my hair! It's ruined!"

Sonja's shoulders slumped and she sighed. She turned to Sophie.

"Sis, get me a pair of scissors." She told her. Arika gasped and stared at Sonja wildly.

"You'd cut my hair? No way!"

Sophie handed Sonja the scissors and Sonja reached down and grabbed Arika's arm. Arika attempted to pull away but soon realized she was far outmatched as Sonja dragged her into the room and shut the door.

Sophie went into the kitchen for some cereal and found Daichi seated on the pullout watching television. She turned away and did her best to ignore both him and the sobbing shrieks coming from Arika.

"_No! You're not a stylist! You'll give me a crew cut!" _

_"I have a good sense of symmetry and that's good enough. Now hold still." _

Sophie shook her head. Sonja was trying to do Arika a favor. All of the hair stylists in this city were seemingly fresh out of hair school or something and every one of them could really only do crew cuts and shaves. Sonja had actually been styling her own and Sophie's hair for years now.

Finally, after about thirty minutes, the door opened and Arika danced out, now dressed in that same skimpy outfit she'd worn on the DVD with her hair no longer long. Instead, it was cut short and bobbed around her ears in a bouncy triangular look.

"Wow! It's so cute!" she exclaimed, looking at herself in the window's reflection. "Sonja, you were born to cut hair!"

Sonja came out with a plastic bag filled with the remains of Arika's hair and the scissors. She set the bag in the trashcan and the scissors on the counter. Her face remained totally expressionless.

Arika continued to play with her new hairstyle while Sonja went to get some toast. She yawned and sighed, glancing at the clock.

"Man, it's only six in the a.m. It's way too early." She mumbled. But as she was getting some milk out of the fridge, she froze.

"Six?" she stammered. She screamed suddenly, dropped the open container of milk, ran into the back bedroom and slammed the door all in almost one motion. Seconds later she reappeared with a poorly mismatched outfit, grabbed a piece of toast and clamped it between her teeth and simultaneously skidded her way to the door on the spilt milk.

"Clean dat up, will ya?" she yelled clumsily to Sophie through the piece of toast. "I'll shee you in a bit!"

And with that, she was out the door and down the stairs.

Sophie shook her head in amazement.

"We must be close to the apocalypse. I've never seen Sonja panic in the morning." She muttered. She calmly took a bite of her cereal and sighed contentedly.

//ooo//

Mokuba arrived in the morning to get Sophie so they could hang out on their day off. He entered the shop and found Sonja with her head facedown on the countertop, sound asleep. He went over and bent down to try to see her eyes through her thick hair.

"Sonja?" he whispered. He poked her gently. "Hey, Sonja!"

There was no reply. Sonja was out cold and didn't look like she was going to move anytime soon. Mokuba shrugged and left the shop, flipping the closed sign and locking the door behind him so she wouldn't be startled awake by noisy clientele.

It was only about an hour later when she finally woke up herself and noticed that somebody had closed the shop and locked the door did she spring fully awake. By then, she had busied herself with preparing the bouquets for long-term storage while she was gone for roughly three days. It was just attending the show, demonstrating the equipment and meeting potential buyers. It was more like a convention than typical trade shows. She'd heard Kaiba grumbling the other day and heard the name 'Zigfried'. She figured that Kaiba still hated him. Zigfried von Schroeder had attempted to crash the systems at the new theme park Kaiba had designed by sending a deadly virus through it the year before. It had sort of been like a type of revenge for him, or something. Sonja had been knocked down with a bad flu during most of that tournament and had been unable to see a good deal of what happened short of the final two duels. All she knew about Zigfried was that he was eccentric, had pink hair and a little brother and that he and Kaiba were archrivals to some extent.

"I might have to talk to Seto about why he's dragging me into the corporate dramas like this." She mumbled. She finished setting the timer on the automatic sprinkler system and sat back down to work some. Sophie was going to go with Ursula to New York during the time of the show and Arika and Daichi would have to be trusted alone in the house. She'd take the keys with her since she didn't trust either of them with her beloved shop. But so far, the only thing they'd done was irritate the heck out of her, and not in the bad way, either. Short of breaking a vase Sophie had made in art class, there'd been minimal damage both physically and psychologically. She supposed they could be trusted home alone for three days.

She looked up when Arika and Daichi appeared at the door, Arika tapping incessantly on the window. By now, it was a little past noon. She hadn't noticed the time fly by as she got up to open the door.

"Yeah?" she mumbled disinterestedly.

"We're going to explore the town." Arika told her. At least she was wearing something decent this time. It was a frilly white summer dress with a pink cardigan and matching earrings. Daichi looked like the same rag he'd arrived as. He also looked as bored as always, too.

"Okay. Is that it?" Sonja said. Arika frowned and then smiled again.

"Yup! Want us to bring home dinner? I remembered that you don't eat meat much, so I can pick up a veggie teriyaki if you want."

"I'll pass." Sonja told her. "I have to get ready to leave tomorrow."

Arika nodded and saluted.

"All righty then! Ciao!" she called, dragging Daichi off down the street. Sonja stared after them, sighed and left the shop, leaving her notice on the door explaining her impending absence. With that, she headed upstairs to pack.

"I'd better also bring some aspirin too." She mumbled. "As always, Seto's gonna run me ragged with that lame scheduling he's famous for."

She found a note on the table upstairs explaining that Sophie had gone to the arcade with Mokuba and Maya and wouldn't be back until late. To her surprise, upon entering the back room, she also discovered that Sophie had remembered to pack her own bag for once. That saved her a little trouble and gave her some time to kill.

"I think I'll make some tea and fried rice." She muttered to herself. If she was going to be ending up a bundle of stress and nerves in three days time, she was going to prepare for it and spoil herself a little with a good lunch.

//ooo//

Kaiba had just finished the itinerary for the trip the next day. They'd be flying Northwest airlines first class. Because he kept forgetting to renew his license, they'd been flying commercial more often than usual. He disliked it because he couldn't be in control of the situation and it sometimes made him a little uncomfortable. When he flew alone, he enjoyed relying on his own skills, rather than someone else's. He wasn't saying the pilots were bad at what they did. He just didn't prefer flying commercial.

One, two, three, simple as that.

As of late, he'd noticed how the tight schedules had a negative effect on the people they involved, namely, Sonja. The last few times, she'd looked like she'd been running on willpower alone and it slightly concerned him. That was why he'd gone and added an extra day to the itinerary. There was no real reason. But he figured that if she decided to spend that extra day either exploring Seattle or relaxing, he could get a little extra work in on any new orders and shipments that may or may not pop up during the show. In this way, it benefited them both. He'd get some quiet time to work and she'd get a little rest before the long flight home.

He decided not to tell her about the extra day until after the show. Knowing her, she'd pack extras of necessities just in case. And Ursula was taking Mokuba and Sophie to New York so everything was working out fine.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. He glanced at the clock. It was going on two in the afternoon. This day had gone a little more quickly than usual. He decided to pack it in early today and shut down his computer. He'd go home, finish packing, check the travelers checks and make sure their seats were still reserved and whatnot. He figured he'd pay Sonja a visit later on, as well. He also had to make a few quick adjustments to the new version of the duel disk. It was coming along fine with only one little problem that needed attention; every time he summoned a monster in a field test, the holograms turned out an odd shade of green. Nothing he couldn't fix, but it was irritating nonetheless. He'd have it ready by the next day.

//ooo//

Sonja was curled up on the sofa wrapped in her favorite green comforter with a throw cushion clutched against her stomach. She'd put on her two favorite classical songs, Ode to Joy and Pachelbel Canon in D major. Sophie hated the second one, but Sonja could care less. The songs calmed her. There was one more she liked, but she didn't have it on a CD. It was _On Your Mark_ by Chage and Aska. Long song, but a nice one in any case.

It was getting dark outside and she had no lights on. It was getting even darker on the inside. She didn't expect Arika and Daichi to be home soon, but she felt so at peace knowing they were gone for the moment. She sighed contentedly and burrowed deeper into the fluffy blanket. She'd thrown it in the dryer for good measure. She was starting to get drowsy and so it came as heart-stopping shock when she heard the doorknob rattle and allow the door itself to slide open. She froze, eyes wide, heart pounding. Someone came in and closed the door. She scowled and braced, slowly unwrapping herself from the blanket.

"Gotcha!" she shrieked, leaping out of the blanket and over the sofa, grabbing the arm of the intruder and trapping the person against the wall as she flipped on the light.

A very awkward pause followed as Kaiba glowered at her from where she'd pinned him in a wristlock.

"Any particular reason?" he grumbled.

Sonja blinked.

"No. You startled me."

" _I _startled _you?_" he snapped, shoving her backward, causing her to fall over.

"Yup." She said, sitting up and crossing her legs, seemingly not angered about him pushing her over backward. "Sorry about that."

Kaiba just glared and sighed.

"So that's what I get for paying you a visit." He mumbled. Sonja shrugged sheepishly.

"Sorry." She said. "But had I known it was you, I probably wouldn't have put you in a wristlock." She said with a grin. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Are you ready for the trip tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah. I set the automatic sprinklers and I'm all packed with bare necessities."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I have enough to fit in a tote bag." She replied. He'd forgotten that having lived most of her life on almost nothing, not even the bare necessities, she was used to carrying around very little. It was almost like she was internally afraid she'd need to flee in a hurry and abandon what little she had in the hopes of finding more. She'd probably never grow out of it.

Sonja turned and in one swift motion, vaulted over the back of the sofa and landed with a plop in her blanket. She wrapped herself back up and sighed.

"Sorry, but this thing is way too tempting. And it's cold out."

"It's autumn." He answered.

"Yup." Came the muffled reply.

Kaiba shook his head. She was in one of those moods again. Out of nowhere, she'd get hyper and childish.

"Where are Arika and Daichi?" he asked curiously.

"Out on the town. I don't expect them back for a while. It's nice to have some peace and quiet."

She sighed. "It's always the simple, seemingly boring things you remember the most. So enjoyable." She muttered.

There were times when the most nonsensical things she said made a lick of sense.

But after a few minutes, just when he was sure she'd drifted off to sleep, he heard someone outside on the street. Out of curiosity, he turned and headed for the window. He frowned when he saw it was Arika and Daichi. Arika was hanging onto Daichi's shoulder and clearly limping. Her face was contorted in pain as she stumbled along.

Kaiba turned back toward the sofa and gently shook Sonja awake.

"They're back." He told her. "Arika might have some trouble."

Sonja just stared at the wall.

"All good things must come to an end." She mumbled.

She got up and went over to the door as it opened and Daichi stumbled in with Arika. Sonja immediately woke up then when she saw how Arika was walking.

"What happened?" she exclaimed.

"Turned her foot in a gutter." Daichi muttered. That was the first sentence she'd heard him speak since his arrival. Arika was clutching her foot, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as she looked up at Sonja.

"Sorry. We tried not to disturb you." She said in a cracking voice.

Kaiba could see Sonja was torn. She could either feel contempt for this girl she hated and distrusted. Or she could forget all that for the moment and help her. He could somehow tell she'd choose the latter.

Sonja immediately gathered Arika up from Daichi who leaned against the wall unconcernedly. She led her over to the sofa and helped her lay down on her back with her legs propped up on the blanket. Arika's right ankle was turning dark purple and swollen immensely. It was either a very bad sprain or broken.

"Do you know what's up with it, Sonni?" Arika mumbled. Sonja sighed.

"I'm going to prod a little bit." She said, handing her a cushion.

"What's this for?"

"It might hurt a bit. Bite on that so you don't bite your tongue." Sonja instructed. Arika clamped down on the cushion, watching worriedly as Sonja carefully felt around her ankle, gently pressing the swollen areas. Arika squealed and chomped down on the cushion.

"Da hurds!" she yelled, muffled.

Sonja slumped back, staring seriously at Arika. She appeared at war within her mind, and the compassionate side was winning. She stood up and made her way around the sofa toward Kaiba. She stood next to him, but didn't look directly at him.

"Could you please drive us to the hospital?" she whispered. "I think it might be broken and she needs to have it looked at right away."

Kaiba scowled. Now _his _mind was at war with itself. From what he knew about Arika, he couldn't help but despise her a little himself. But he knew that if he refused, Sonja would probably get mad and then try to take her there by herself, which could end disastrously.

" I'll wait ten minutes." He snapped. "If you're not out there by then, I'm leaving."

Sonja watched him leave and then went to get Arika.

"Just hang on. We'll get you some help." She said to her.

"Thanks, Sonja. I'm really sorry about this."

Several false starts made it difficult for Sonja to help and Daichi wordlessly refused any assistance whatsoever. Sonja wanted to punch him.

All in all, it took a good twenty minutes to get out there. As they were making it down the stairs, Sonja smiled when she saw him leaning over the roof of the car glaring at the street. She knew him well enough by now to see through his bluffs. She got Arika into the back of the car and checked to make sure she was comfortable. Then she got into the passenger seat and shut the door as he started the engine.

"Thanks for waiting." She said quietly. He made no response. Sonja closed her eyes and leaned back.

On the drive there, he couldn't help but glance at her a few times, just to be sure she was asleep and wouldn't notice.

//ooo//

Sonja slumped against the wall, arms folded and waiting. They'd recently gotten the X-rays back. Arika had a fractured bone as well as several strained ligaments. She wouldn't be walking for quite some time. The doctor had recommended a wheelchair until he found out that Sonja lived on the second floor of her apartment. Then he said she'd just have to be extra careful on crutches if there was no place else for her to stay. Sonja reluctantly agreed.

Now, they were only waiting for the doctors to finish with Arika's cast and any pain medications she might need or want.

Much to Sonja's surprise, Kaiba had agreed to stay with her during the wait. He watched as she undid her braid, allowing her hair to flow free in a snowy cascade. It was almost twice the length it had been when he'd met her. But it also grew impossibly fast and he remembered that two years ago, she'd cut it totally short. He hadn't wanted to tell her, but she really didn't look good with short hair. In fact, she looked more like a boy than a girl with short hair. Fortunately, she'd seemed to feel the same and allowed it to grow back out again.

She stuck the tie in her mouth and gathered her hair up again into a simple ponytail at the base of her neck. She then tied it back again and leaned against the wall with a sigh.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now." She mumbled. "Just leave Arika while she's like this?"

"You're going back on yourself, Sonja." Kaiba told her. "You told me multiple times that you hate her."

"I do." Sonja snapped, throwing a severe look at him. "But that doesn't mean I have to just ignore her when she goes and hurts herself. I'm not cold-hearted."

They fell silent for a moment.

"Sonja," he said after a while.

"Hm?"

"There's something I've been wondering for a while."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"You're from Japan, yet you don't look Japanese, speak Japanese or have a Japanese name. Why?"

Sonja stared long and hard at him. Finally, she sighed and looked away.

"Dad worked for a large conglomerate out there. We lived in an English community mostly filled with the workers of that company. The three of us were born after dad and mom moved there, but they wanted us to stay as we were. That's why Arika and Daichi have Japanese names and we don't."

He supposed that made sense.

After about twenty minutes, a nurse arrived with Arika in a wheelchair. She was holding a set of crutches over her shoulder as she came nearer.

"Hey." She said. "The doctor patched me up. I have to wear this thing for a few weeks to let it heal and I'm not to take baths. I can take showers though, with a plastic bag wrapped around the thing."

She grinned. Sonja remained expressionless as she thanked the nurse. All but Arika noticed Sonja's grim face.

"Are you worried about the hospital bill?" the nurse asked.

"A little." Sonja said. "I can't pay for all of it in one round."

The nurse smiled.

"Well you're in luck. The director here just started a pay-plan program. For patients who can't cover the full cost of a bill, we break it up in more manageable segments that you pay over the course of a few months. It's easier that way."

Sonja smiled and nodded.

"That sounds good. My name is Sonja Gavens. I have information at this hospital from when I was here for surgery five years ago. It should still be in your records if you need my mailing information."

The nurse nodded.

"Thanks." She said.

"Thank you." Sonja replied. She helped Arika out of the wheelchair and into her crutches. Kaiba could see it on her face how uncomfortable Sonja was around Arika.

Kaiba had called Roland to pick them up several minutes before and he was waiting outside the hospital. Arika rode in the passenger seat so as to have more room for her crutches while Sonja and Kaiba rode in back. Occasionally, Kaiba would glance over at Sonja while Arika yammered on and on to a rather disgruntled Roland. Sonja was gazing out the window with one of the most disturbed and at the same time, serene looks on her face. He wondered what she was thinking about.

Back at the apartment, Sonja helped Arika up the stairs and into bed where her strict orders were to rest. She then went back down to the street where Kaiba was still waiting. She unlocked the shop door and beckoned him inside.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked as she sat down behind the counter. He expected her to boot her computer up, but she left it alone.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked.

"No." he said frankly.

Sonja sighed. "I'm going on that trip tomorrow, aren't I? I need sleep. So if you'd kindly scram, I'll get that."

Kaiba was confused, to say the least.

"You're going to trust Arika with your home?" he asked warily.

"Sure. In the state she's in now, she won't be able to do any damage that might be easily noticed. And Daichi never does anything anyway, so there."

She got off her stool and went around, forcefully shoving him toward the door.

"Please get lost so I can get some sleep." She said, smiling.

She locked the door from the outside again while he just stared at her irritably. He rolled his eyes and headed for the car. There were times when it was pointless to question her moods. And this was one of those times.

Besides, he needed some rest too.

//ooo//

Sonja had decided that because Arika was so restless, she wasn't going to get any sleep upstairs. So when Sophie finally got home about fifteen minutes after she did, she took their sleeping bags down into the shop and put them in the back room. While Sophie was hesitant to sleep there, Sonja told her that they'd get more rest down here than they would upstairs. So Sophie reluctantly agreed.

When morning came, Sophie found that her sister had been right. They'd both slept more soundly than they had the night before.

Now, Sophie was getting ready to head out. Ursula would arrive at any moment.

Arika watched, hobbling around on her crutches while Sonja helped her sister get ready.

"Toothbrush?" Sonja called. Sophie rummaged through her bag.

"Check!"

"Shampoo?"

"Check!"

"Spare clothes?"

"Check four times over!"

"Clay doll?"

Sophie tore her bag apart, growing more frantic by the second.

"I can't find my clay doll! I can't—wait, why would I bring one anyway?" she muttered, scowling at her sister. Sonja was snickering.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist." She said.

The sound of a car horn echoed inside and Sophie ran to the window. Mokuba stood down on the sidewalk, waving up to her.

"Come on, Sophie! We're going to be late for our plane!"

"I'm coming!" Sophie called back. She grabbed her bag from Sonja and ran outside. Sonja calmly followed and stood leaning against the door of the shop as she watched Mokuba load the bag into the trunk.

"Don't you worry now, I'll take good care of them." Ursula assured her.

"It's only the hyper one I'm seriously worried about." Sonja replied, smiling. "You guys have fun in New York."

Sophie ran back over and wrapped her arms around her sister.

"You have fun in Seattle." She said. Sonja hugged her back and then gave her hair an affectionate tug.

"Yeah, right. And I'll suddenly sprout wings and fly. You be good for Ursula, you hear me?"

"I will!" Sophie answered as she climbed in the backseat next to Mokuba. She rolled down the window and smiled.

Ursula leaned out one final time. "Now don't do anything I wouldn't do." She taunted.

"Oh, scram, the whole lot of you!" Sonja yelled. As Ursula pulled out into the street, Sonja waved at Sophie as they gradually went out of sight around a corner. Sonja stayed on the street for a few minutes, just staring into space. Then, she turned and went back upstairs to finish her own packing.

Arika was sitting in a chair at the table watching some explicit program Daichi had on. Sonja scowled, stalked over, snatched the remote from him and held it aloft.

"I don't tolerate that kind of junk in this house." She told him.

Daichi's brows furrowed.

"Oh let it go, Daichi." Arika snapped. "You can watch it later."

Daichi instead got to his feet and shuffled over to the door, slamming it on his way out.

Arika shook her head. "He's hopeless. I was about to do that very thing myself before you walked in, Sonja."

"Leave me alone." Sonja mumbled. Arika stared.

"Tense? Why don't you relax for a few minutes before he gets here?"

"No time." Sonja replied. "He'll be here any—"

The slamming of a car door made her look up mid-sentence.

"That'd be them." She said. She went into the back and grabbed her rolling suitcase.

"Now," she said to Arika. "We'll be gone for a few days. You'll have to fend for yourself until then. Don't destroy anything, don't go into the shop and don't answer the phone. Just let the machine take calls. It's easier for me that way because they're usually orders and work-related calls. Understand?"

"Yup." Arika said, nodding. "I'll clean up a little, too."

"No, you're going to rest. The sooner you get out of that cast, the faster you'll get to your new apartment."

_And out of my house,_ she added silently.

"I'm starting to think you don't want me here." Arika teased. Sonja sighed.

_What was your first clue? _

She opened the door and Arika hobbled over. As Sonja was heading down the stairs, Arika grabbed her arm, pulling her back. Sonja turned.

"What?"

"Listen," Arika told her. "When you get back, I'll bake a cake for you and Sophie. Okay? How does that sound?"

Sonja frowned.

"Whatever you want to do, so long as you don't make a mess." She said quietly. Arika smiled and released her.

"Great. Chocolate cake recipe, here I come!" she declared. She stumbled back inside and shut the door.

Sonja shook her head and continued down the stairs to the street.

He was waiting outside the car, watching rather impatiently.

"Lets' go." He said. "We're late as it is."

"Not very punctual, are you?" Sonja taunted. Kaiba scowled and snatched her suitcase, putting it in the trunk and slamming it.

"Just get in.," he grumbled. Sonja smirked.

Once inside, Sonja allowed herself to lean against the door and doze for a little while. She really didn't mind going to the shows, it was the dueling she hated. The virtual reality systems focused on dueling and Kaiba always brought her along because he judged her skills good enough. Still, she had yet to actually beat him. The last show had been in Orlando. That one had been particularly bad because she'd almost gotten heat stroke and had to forfeit the duel midway. At least this next one took place in Seattle, which was known for its milder climate. But it'd probably be a little icy, even if it was late autumn. It was early November.

The drive was long and boring. No one spoke except for when the driver got lost for a few minutes and swore. Fortunately, Kaiba was too wrapped up in the upcoming events and didn't really notice. Sonja kept forgetting that he was under a lot of stress as well.

She never noticed when they arrived and only woke up when the door opened on the other side as he got out. She quickly followed suit and took her little suitcase as he handed it to her.

Kaiba frowned. He'd suspected as much. She'd packed very little. He hoped it was enough for the extra day he'd put in. He hoped to get a little work done on that day. She could do whatever she wanted. It didn't matter to him.

Or did it?

He figured the strain was taking a toll on him. That extra day would definitely come in handy.

He gave the driver instructions on what time to return when they got back. Unfortunately, Sonja overheard him say 'in four days'.

"Why didn't you let me know in advance? I could have been better prepared!" she moaned after he drove off.

"I planned it as a review day." He snapped. "It's where I'll have some quiet time to go over whatever new information we acquire at the show."

"And what am I supposed to do?" she griped, irritated that he hadn't told her.

"Whatever you want. I don't care."

He started inside to get their tickets. Sonja just stared.

"Wait, huh?"

He turned back partially. "If you want to explore Seattle that day, go ahead. Like I said, I don't care."

He continued inside. Sonja blinked, looked back to where the driver had disappeared and then hurried after him.

Getting through security was a bit difficult. Kaiba refused to take off the card-shaped pendant with Mokuba's picture inside it. So he'd been forced into this separate little area for inspection. Sonja got off perfect and waited by the escalator for him to be freed from customs.

"It would have been easier to just listen to them, you know." Sonja grumbled when he'd finally arrived.

"I don't see the point."

"Of course you don't." Sonja mumbled.

Sonja was aware of people staring as they passed. It wasn't out of the ordinary. Kaiba was pretty famous, or infamous depending on your point of view. It was only natural people would stare. What she hated were the people now and then who taunted her. Every time something was said that upset her, he'd always tell her to ignore them.

"Don't look at them, Sonja. You're only giving them what they want." He'd say under his breath. It had occurred to her some time ago that that was the secret to his indifference. He just ignored everyone to keep his concentration. He made it look easy, too. She was sure that an iron will was also somewhat necessary.

They reached their gate out. Gate A73 nonstop service to SeaTac* airport. While Kaiba received their tickets, Sonja wandered over to the magazine store.

While Sonja browsed through an Archaeology magazine, she felt that familiar tingle down her spine meaning someone was standing behind her. She turned, frowning.

It was a middle-aged man with glasses and thinning dark hair. He looked down at her and smiled.

"What're you reading there, little miss?" he asked in an apparently friendly voice.

"Just a magazine, mister." She replied. She didn't trust this guy. He reeked of alcohol. He must have just come from one of the on-site restaurants.

"How 'bout you let me buy it for you, sweetie?" he asked, getting a little too close. He seemed sober, but she still didn't trust the smell. He was getting too close and she figured he was one of those types where alcohol just made them bold instead of drunk.

She tensed when he extended his hand toward her and she didn't particularly like the direction it was heading in. She skipped backward, clutching the magazine as she slowly rolled it up. She glanced at the register, trying to make eye contact with the elderly woman who worked there. She was paying attention to another guest and didn't notice.

"Hey, little miss, I don't bite." He said.

"Stay away from me, sir." Sonja said curtly.

"Aw, that's awfully cold. We only just met." He said as he reached for her again. Sonja continued to back away.

"Why don't we keep it that way?" she growled. Rather unwanted memories of her younger days were beginning to pop up.

"C'mon. I'll buy you a drink."

Sonja felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped, relaxing slightly when she saw Kaiba.

"Seems like you've had a few too many." Kaiba said blankly. "I'd suggest turning and walking away before you go too far."

The man seemed slightly less bold than before.

"Hey, I didn't mean any harm, really." He said meekly. He shrugged and turned away, shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled off.

Kaiba looked down at the magazine Sonja had rolled up. He took it from her, threw a ten on the register in front of the cashier and pushed it back into her hands. The cashier seemed flustered, but just grabbed another copy and rang it up in the other's place.

"Keep the change." He told the woman as he walked off. Sonja hesitated, a little stunned by this whole thing. Finally, she left the store, still holding the magazine.

The plane was already boarding and Kaiba had saved them a place as the first class section was boarded first. He handed her the suitcase and took a hold of his own rolling case that carried the important documents.

As they took their seats and pushed the carry-on luggage underneath the seats in front, Sonja couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that she'd gotten herself into such a compromising situation. She could have easily gotten out of herself with a little harmless type violence so to speak, but it was the fact that Kaiba had gotten her out of it that was embarrassing. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was too weak to protect herself.

She glanced over at him. He'd gotten a novel out and had started it right off the bat. She figured this flight would be no different from the others. She'd wind up falling asleep and waiting for the plane to land without saying a word to anyone other than the stewardess.

It was just as well. This little fiasco had made her sleepy anyway.

A/N: For those of you who noticed * symbol next to SeaTac, it stands for the Seattle Tacoma airport. I always thought it sounded like Tic Tac, lol. Be sure to let me know what you think and of course, if Kaiba's still in character.


	5. Horse of A Different Color

A/N: Okay, here, I bring back a character whom I think is pretty cool, but some of you might not like so much. Oh well, I'm sorry, but it's my story and this guy is an interesting character. He's one of few I'm bringing back. ^_^

Fluff alert!! Elwyn, this one's for you! And Cauryn is probably the awesomest co-writer ever!!

Horse of A Different Color

Sonja had never officially seen Seattle. She'd flown over it when they arrived from Japan, but at the height they'd been at you couldn't really see anything spectacular or obvious. So when she felt the signaling dip that the plane was taking in due course to the landing strip, she strained to see out the window. To further her shock from over five and a half hours earlier, Kaiba suddenly got up, slipped past her, pulled her up and then gave her a slight push toward the window. He then sat down in what had been her seat, folded his arms and closed his eyes. Sonja just stared at him and then looked out the window. She had a perfect aerial view of the famous Space Needle, the symbol of the Seattle 1962 World's Fair. It was quite an impressive sight. They weren't extremely high by then and she found she could even see the see-through elevator climbing the dizzying heights to the floors of the observation deck and the revolving restaurant below it. She'd read about that place. The revolving restaurant took one hour to complete a full circuit and the food there was supposed to be world class. Since Kaiba had added an extra day to the itinerary, she might get a chance to explore it.

After the plane had landed and they'd arrived outside at the gate, Sonja waited while Kaiba made reservations at a hotel near where the show was going to take place. Sonja knew the drill by now.

She glanced at the clock behind the lady at the desk. It was going on five in the afternoon, but it felt like eleven. She figured that was because she was almost four hours behind Domino's time. It was still light out.

"Lets' go, Sonja." Kaiba said. "Unfortunately, I have to meet someone while we're here for a moment."

Judging from his irritated expression, Sonja hedged her bet that it was Zigfried.

"Come on, he doesn't hate you nearly as much as he used to." Sonja mumbled.

"The fact remains that I still hate him." Kaiba answered irritably. Sonja sighed and shook her head. She wondered when they were supposed to meet him anyway.

She soon found out. When Kaiba stopped abruptly, causing Sonja to accidentally run into him and didn't even say a word about it, Sonja was able to see why. Standing in front of the elevator leading down to baggage claim where they only needed one case, was the pre-mentioned familiar oddball.

Zigfried hadn't yet noticed them and was leaning casually against the wall with his brother reading a poster a few feet away. As they approached, he finally glanced in their direction and turned.

"Greetings, _Herr_ Kaiba," he said. "Velcome to ze beautiful city of Seattle, Washington. I trust your flight vas comfortable?"

"Cut the small talk, Zigfried. I want to know the reason you insisted we meet you here."

Sonja nudged him.

"Seto, can't you be respectful just for a few minutes for once?" she grumbled. Kaiba just glared at her. Zigfried chuckled.

" I see he hasn't changed very much." He said somewhat good-naturedly.

" From what I remember, glad to see that you have." Sonja replied with a stern look at her companion.

"As they say, it is all water under ze bridge." Zigfried said. He took Sonja's hand and kissed it politely. "How lovely to see you again, _Frau* _Sonja."

"Enough formalities, Zigfried. Why did you have us meet you here?"

"Because, _Herr _Kaiba, zere has been a slight change in ze show's setup. Our organizers ver unable to book ze originally planned location for zis month. Zerefore, I was informed to tell you vhere it will now take place."

"Where?" Kaiba inquired.

Zigfried motioned for them to follow him to the poster where Leon was standing. Leon grinned when he saw them and waved before stepping back so they could see the poster. Zigfried gestured to the poster.

"Right here," he said. Sonja read the text:

" 'See virtual technology displayed like never before at the Seattle Tech Trade Show, opening in November.' It says it takes place at the science center."

"Zat is correct. _Und_ in ze center of zis magnificent occasion is ze very symbol of Seattle itself."

"The Space Needle?" Sonja exclaimed. "Amazing!"

Zigfried gave her an odd look. "Have you never seen it before?" he asked.

"No. Never really even been on this side of the country." Sonja answered while Kaiba read the fine print on the poster. Zigfried gave a dramatic sigh.

"You do not know what you are missing, _Frau _Sonja," he exclaimed.

"Hey," Leon interrupted. "Ziggy promised to take me up there while we're here! Why don't you come with us?"

"Leon, please don't call me zat while vere in public." Zigfried mumbled.

"Sorry."

Sonja shook her head. "No, it's fine. But thanks."

"You sure?" Leon pried.

Sonja nodded. "Yeah. I'll try to find time to go up there in a couple of days. Seto booked a review day after the show, so I'll have a chance then."

Leon shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He said.

"Now," Zigfried continued, "If ze two of you don't mind, I vould like ze pleasure of escorting you to ze hotel."

"Do we have a choice?" Kaiba grumbled.

"Not really."

"Whatever."

The ride down in the elevator was slightly awkward with the tense atmosphere. Sonja was glad when the doors finally opened. Kaiba went over to the luggage carousel to claim the small suitcase he'd brought. Sonja held on to her tote bag and studied the map on the wall behind her.

"Pardon me, _Frau _Sonja," Zigfried said. She turned.

"Yeah?"

"I only vanted to ask a question. Since ze tournament, I have accepted my, as you say, 'second-fiddle' status to Kaiba Corp. But tell me, how do you put up with _Herr _Kaiba? He is difficult to be around, to say ze least."

Sonja shrugged.

"I just either ignore it or I find ways to retort his sarcasm. I'm sorry, but he still dislikes you."

Zigfried smiled wryly.

"Zis, I vas quite aware of." He said. "But he should learn to be conscious of his words when ladies are present."

"Very polite of you." Sonja said.

"But of course, _Frau _Sonja. Since I vas a boy, I vas raised to treat women the same as a delicate rose."

"Very eloquent. Did you consider switching careers to poetry?" Sonja said.

"Only in my spare time."

Sonja chuckled.

"Thanks. I needed a bit of a laugh." She said.

"Anytime."

He turned away to look for Leon who had wandered off to find a vending machine. Sonja went back to reading the map.

Sonja," Kaiba called. She turned around. He motioned her over.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Sonja, don't treat him like he's not our impending rival." Kaiba snapped. Sonja's face darkened.

"Excuse me, but unlike you, I happen to be slightly forgiving. It's called 'courtesy'. Try it sometime."

She stormed off to the doors and sat down in the waiting area. Kaiba stared after her, a strange look on his face. But he returned his gaze to the luggage carousel and said nothing more.

//ooo//

True to his promise, Zigfried had a limo waiting outside. Kaiba had opted to sit as far from Zigfried as physically possible. Zigfried didn't seem to notice.

"Ze show vill be spectacular, I promise you, _Herr _Kaiba." He said.

"Whatever. I'm only here to represent my company." Kaiba retorted. Zigfried nodded.

"As am I. It vould seem zat we have the same ideas in mind for bringing along company."

Leon beamed.

"Zigfried's gonna show off some new dueling technology like you guys. I'm his partner!"

Zigfried gestured toward Sonja.

"Is _Frau _Sonja your dueling partner as well, _Herr_ Kaiba?" he asked.

"Yes." Kaiba answered curtly. Sonja rolled her eyes.

"I never win. If I did, he'd probably find someone else." She said seriously. She'd known he'd respond the way he did and had hoped for her statement to come out jokingly. Now, she was pretty sure it was more of a theory. Kaiba just glanced briefly at her.

"Vat is the name of ze hotel?" Zigfried asked, following a rather pregnant pause.

"The Fairmont-Olympic." Kaiba replied. Zigfried nodded approvingly.

"A truly memorable place." He said. "I myself have only stayed zere once. But I must say, it vas quite the experience of Italian culture."

Kaiba didn't seem the least bit interested. Sonja was too tired to care and barely noticed her head and eyes drooping. She was sure that she was hiding it well. Apparently, she wasn't.

"It vould seem zat ze journey has worn both ze body and spirit." Zigfried commented. Sonja snapped awake.

"What? Huh?"

She sighed and yawned slightly. "Jeez, please don't tell me I fell asleep."

Leon yawned widely.

"I don't blame you in the slightest, Sonja," he droned sleepily. "I'm exhausted, too. We've spent the last few weeks in Germany with our family."

Kaiba remained quiet while Sonja and Leon swapped stories about homelands. He just thought about how angry Sonja had gotten with him earlier. Was he really being too cold toward Zigfried? After all, he hadn't had any competitive problems with Schroeder Corp. in a long time. Not since the tournament anyway and that was over a year ago. A lot could happen in that time and so far, it hadn't.

But then, why did he care what she got angry about? She had a hair-trigger temper. Anything could set her off.

He'd have to spend some time thinking about it.

The car pulled to a stop and the four of them got out.

"Are you staying here, too?" Sonja asked them. Leon shook his head.

"Nope. This place is booked solid for people coming for the Thanksgiving Day festivals going on here. We're staying with a relative across town."

"Talk about an extended family." Sonja joked. Leon started laughing. Zigfried smiled at his brother and then turned to them.

"Be sure to get a good night's rest." He told them. "Tomorrow is going to be very busy."

Kaiba hesitated and then slowly nodded toward Zigfried, who started back in surprise. He'd completely expected a sarcastic or cynical backfire. Instead, Kaiba just turned and went to get the suitcase out of the trunk. Sonja nodded as well and stifled a yawn.

"See you guys tomorrow. Hopefully we'll all get off on a better foot."

Zigfried tilted his head.

"I'll have to look up zat phrase later." He mumbled, confused.

Kaiba waited for Sonja to catch up before going inside. As Zigfried and Leon got back into the car, Leon hummed in thought.

"You know, that was pretty out of character for Kaiba." He noted. Zigfried nodded in agreement.

"You are quite right, Leon. But I do believe zere is a logical reason behind zis."

"What's that, Ziggy?"

Zigfried glanced out the window as Sonja and Kaiba disappeared behind the thick shrubbery planted outside the building.

"I am quite sure zat _Herr _Kaiba has stumbled upon a rare _und_ beautiful butterfly, but is not quite sure how to handle it wizout breaking its delicate wings."

Leon had to be satisfied with his brother's unusual metaphors.

//ooo//

The inside of the Fairmont-Olympic was breathtaking. Fully styled in Renaissance Italian and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, Sonja couldn't help but stare at her surroundings. Painted across the walls and ceiling were portraits of the Italian Madonna and Child as well as angels of all varieties. Even the banisters were lined with crystal. Kaiba seemed perfectly unaware of it all as he confirmed their reservations at the front desk.

"Sonja." He said. She snapped out of her reverie.

"Yes?"

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Um, a little." She admitted. Kaiba nodded to the man at the desk. The man looked over at her.

"We'll send something up for you." He told her.

It was easy to note how exhausted Sonja was from the flight. Kaiba made sure not to get too far ahead in case she fell asleep on her feet, which had happened once before. He supposed it was jet lag. He was used to it. But Sonja didn't travel too well.

He'd arranged for the usual accommodations; adjoining rooms in case something happened. It was a safety measure that had worked well during Sonja's case against Allan.

The rooms were on the third floor. Kaiba gave Sonja her key card. As they parted ways, he paused.

"Get some rest." He told her quietly but firmly. Sonja nodded numbly and went inside. The inside of the room was beautiful. The walls were peach colored with a soft red carpet and matching bed covers. Sonja woke up enough to remember some Japanese custom and remove her shoes to prevent soiling the carpet.

She went over to the window and looked out at the city. To her amazement, they were closer to the Space Needle than she'd thought. She almost felt like she could reach out and touch it. The white supports seemed to extend for miles into the sky and she tilted her head back to try to see the base of the observation deck.

"Awesome," she breathed. She noticed that the window was also a window seat. She sat down, pulling her knees up and leaning back against the wall, gazing up at the monument.

"This kind of brings back memories." She muttered. "Rather, unwanted memories, though."

Memories of hiding from Allan in her room, comforting a terrified Sophie and sometimes crying her heart out after that day's 'job'. Those memories were formed in the exact position she was sitting in now. She hissed in irritation and jumped to her feet.

"To heck with it." She mumbled. As she was standing there wondering what to do, she heard the dim vibrating of her phone in the bag. She fished it out and opened it.

"Hello?"

_"Hey sis! How's it going?" _

"Hi, Sophie. Thanks for calling. I was about to go bonkers from boredom." Sonja joked.

"_Hehe, nice. How was the flight?" _

"Tedious. As usual, I ended up dozing. But something interesting happened before we boarded."

_"Yeah? What was it?" _

"I was looking for a magazine to read and this old guy comes up out of nowhere and starts trying to pick me up."

Sophie gagged on the other end.

_"Creepy! What'd you do?" _

"Well, I was about to roll the magazine up to smack him with it. But out of nowhere, Seto comes over and sends him off. Doesn't he know I can handle myself?"

_"I'm sure he does, but that's not the principle of the thing!" _

Sonja frowned at the phone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

_"Sonja, please. You know how protective he is of you. It's been that way for years. Besides, it proves that chivalry isn't dead!" _

"Sophie, yeah right. I'm sure he wasn't doing it to help me. I'm only his partner for the show. Look, I need some sleep. I'll talk to you later."

Sophie sighed on the other end. _"I sure wish you'd try not to be so tunnel-visioned." _

Sonja hung up and closed the phone. It was true. She was only his partner for the show. There was no other reason why he'd helped her. But then, he'd been there since the trial. She dimly recalled when Mick had broken into the apartment and she'd called him without thinking. And even though she was sure he thought she'd been hallucinating or something, he'd still arrived in time to prevent Mick from doing anything worse than what he'd already tried.

So why did she always deny everything Sophie said when she knew that it was true; that he was protective? Why couldn't she even admit it to herself how grateful she was? After all, he'd learned her biggest secret about what really happened to her family and her brother. How Sam and his girlfriend had been kidnapped by Allan and his gang, shot and left for dead in the bay. She'd told him this knowing he'd be put in much more danger than he already was just for helping them. So why did she always deny everything? Perhaps her time under Allan's control had scarred her more than she first thought. This would result in a constant shield that made her really unable to trust anyone. She knew she didn't want to stay like that if that were in fact the case.

That left her to wonder.

//ooo//

On the other side of the wall, Kaiba was just as restless. He was bothered by how angry Sonja had gotten over his treatment of Zigfried. He wasn't thinking about his actions toward his company's biggest rival, though. He was thinking about why he cared so much that Sonja had acted like that. Maybe she had a point; maybe he should let go of the past if his so-called arch rival already had. Then there was that comment on the way to the hotel. He wondered if maybe he'd done something to offend her. That was highly likely, but the possibilities were endless.

For some strange reason, he found himself wanting to know exactly what he'd done and whether or not she was okay now.

He didn't trust himself enough to check on her. She could take care of herself easily enough. But he was still a little bothered by this whole thing. He made his way over to the window and looked out at the Space Needle looming above the hotel like some kind of foreign creature that had landed there. He could see people going in and out with boxes, crates and cases, items for the trade show. The new version of the duel disk was already there, kept under lock and key and waiting to be used for the first time since field testing. There was also a new version of the virtual reality system he'd created. This one however, was portable and could be played on any computer system provided the hardware was nearby. It was an innovative new MMORPG, or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. For this one, all it took was some person or kid from the audience to test it. There was always someone anxious enough to give it a try and it always left the show with outstanding results.

The system he was really concerned about though were the duel disks. He and Sonja always demonstrated them in front of large crowds in the main halls wherever the show was being held. But at one of the most recent shows, she'd forfeited the duel and retreated to the hotel, not emerging for several hours. It had taken both the assistance of a fellow duelist attending the show and a good deal of patience on his part to find out how close she'd become to getting very sick that day. As it turned out, Rebecca Hawkins, the Intercontinental champion, was attending the show to get a sneak peek of the new dueling systems. Even though she was only thirteen, she was still quite the little fireball. And fortunately, she'd seen what was going on with Sonja when during the middle of the duel, Sonja suddenly seemed to go limp, placed her hand over her deck in surrender and then jumped down off the stage, heading for the doors outside. Rebecca, having spent most of her life in warmer climates, explained to Kaiba later on that she might have been having trouble with the hot weather in Orlando. Sure enough, Rebecca went to check on Sonja and found her sprawled on the floor by the air conditioner. As it turned out, Sonja had barely made it back to the hotel and scarcely left the hotel room for the rest of the trip, dealing with the after-effects of a near heat stroke.

This time should be different. Washington's weather was always very mild at best. Sonja sure didn't look it these days, but ever since her surgery, she'd gotten pretty frail. No, maybe sensitive was a better word for it. He had to chuckle a bit when he thought of what she'd do if he dared to say that out loud.

Kaiba turned and sat down on the bed, staring at the floor. His thoughts went back to the airport before they boarded the plane. After getting the tickets, he'd turned to see Sonja had wandered off. As he went to look for her, he saw her in a nearby store reading a magazine. He'd been about to turn away to wait for boarding when he noticed a middle-aged man walking up to her. As he started talking and Sonja rolled up the magazine and began backing away, something kind of strange happened. He already knew she could handle herself if she needed to. But for some reason, he'd suddenly gotten angry. He couldn't figure out why, but at the time, he felt that he needed to help her. Maybe it was remembering what she'd told him about her days under Allan's control. It just came on all by itself and he found himself going over and threatening the creep bothering her.

He wasn't sure why he'd acted like that. He'd just felt this overwhelming urge to protect her. Not as his partner for the show, but as something different. He had no idea what to call it, but it was creeping him out.

He couldn't place it. He could hack into any computer program in the world, design any kind of virtual gaming software and duel above the best of the best. He made it a point not to let anything get in his way.

So why couldn't he figure out what his own actions meant? It was like his body had just acted on its own according to someone else's programming. Maybe he should stop thinking in computer terms.

He was probably just tired. He decided to get some sleep and make sure to check on her the next morning.

//ooo//

Early the following morning, Sonja sighed and glanced out the crack in the curtained window. She'd tossed and turned all night long as far as she knew. She was pretty sure that she'd gotten little, if any, sleep last night. She sat up and brushed her hair out of her face, thinking about the show starting today. Fortunately, today would be mostly setting up and getting everything ready for the day after. The second day was when she and Kaiba would demonstrate the new technology for the visitors. Now, she'd be meeting potential buyers and mostly arranging the files and statistics at their table. She wasn't sure it should be called a trade show. It was more like an obligated convention. Kaiba hated crowded places and didn't really like appearing in front of crowds, despite his enormous reputation. He'd actually told her that it was just something he dealt with in order to keep his business alive.

Sonja got up and stretched before making the bed herself out of habit and choosing an outfit to wear. A while back, she'd had to do some shopping to buy professional looking outfits when Kaiba told her she'd be accompanying him to a show for the first time. Because she was essentially done growing, what she'd had for quite some time, well over a year, still fit her pretty well. She'd brought a pair of black dress slacks and a white blouse with a small flower decoration of the same white color on the right corner of the neck opening. She also brought a pair of flat black dress sandals that went well with her outfit.

She slipped these on, all the while running over what she usually did when they came to one of these things. She didn't really ever say anything. She just faded into the background as nothing more than a dueling partner. But she liked Leon and she figured maybe she could talk with him a bit while his brother was busy.

Standing before the mirror, she arranged her hair back with a white baby's breath clip, letting the rest of it hang freely down her back. She nodded expressionlessly and turned to grab her handbag from the tote. There was really nothing in it, just some money, her phone, a little coverup and a first-aid kit. She slung it over her shoulder and sat down on the bed, staring at the base of the Space Needle through the window until he came to get her.

She felt strangely edgy that morning. She was still thinking about what had happened at the airport the night before. She was perfectly capable of handling herself. She couldn't figure out why he'd want to help her. It wasn't like he cared or anything, right? But even on the off chance that he did....

Sonja shook her head. She was being silly. Of course he didn't care. He was, well, Kaiba after all. He was known far and wide for being totally indifferent to everything but his company and his brother.

She got up and went over to the window, opening the curtains and gazing out at the dazzling white light reflecting off the Space Needle. Since she had an extra day, she could hardly wait to go up and explore it, provided the entrance fee wasn't too expensive.

She hummed and sat down on the window seat, still gazing out the window. No matter how hard she tried, her mind kept wandering back to the night before at the airport. Why did something so insignificant bother her so much? It wasn't the first time he'd helped her out of a tough situation whether she liked it or not. But something about this time was...different. Different how, she couldn't say.

After all, he had gotten her out of some serious trouble with Mick and Allan. And Allan had had him at gunpoint for a few minutes there. Back then, she was a little too reckless than she would've liked nowadays. Bringing Allan down hadn't been a problem. Getting stabbed near fatally had been. Even today, she still had trouble breathing. But there was one thing she was determined to keep quiet.

A few weeks before, she'd gotten a call from the doctor at the hospital where she'd been in surgery. A new lung had been located and she'd been requested to appear for immediate installment. But to the shock of the doctor and Sophie, the only other one who knew, she'd turned it down. To her own surprise, she didn't want the new lung. She wasn't sure why, but the absence of the first one kind of served as a reminder to her of everything that happened that night and how lucky she was to have escaped from Allan. In any case, she'd told the doctor to give it to someone who truly needed it.

She knew that if Kaiba found out, he'd probably be livid. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but she knew it.

She sighed and leaned against the wall, lost in her own mind.

//ooo//

Kaiba made one final check to make sure he hadn't left anything important. He'd been packing the important files since two in the morning. He hadn't gotten a bit of sleep and gave up after a while. He'd been thinking too much, lately. Mostly, he'd been thinking about his reaction the other night at the airport. Why had he acted like that? Sonja was perfectly able to take care of herself, so he shouldn't have had to intervene. Yet something told him that he should, so he did. And now, his mind was paying the price for what he did that he wasn't even sure of in the first place. It was all very confusing.

He finished packing the things up and sighed. It was almost seven-thirty in the morning. They needed to be in the center in an hour and ready to go by ten. He didn't believe in actual nervousness. What was there to be nervous about? The worst that could happen was someone would just pass them by. He did however believe in edginess.

He left and locked the room behind him. He knocked on Sonja's door and waited. He frowned and knocked again.

"Sonja?"

He heard something fall over and Sonja grumbling. The door opened a crack and she was holding the side of her head, glaring out at him.

"Time to go?"

Kaiba just stared, eyebrow raised. "Dare I ask?"

"Do you have a death wish?"

"Frankly, no." he said, frowning.

"Good. Just a minute."

She closed the door. He heard another thud, Sonja swearing once and then the door opened fully. She had a small case with her. He supposed it was the backups of the files he already carried.

Something about her outfit caught his eye. As she locked the door and waited for him to move, he hummed slightly.

"Sonja," he said. She turned sharply.

"Huh?"

"You...look nice today." he said awkwardly. He was pretty sure she didn't notice. Just to be sure, he turned too quickly to notice her face go from irritated to confused.

"Uh...." she said. But she shook her head and hurried after him.

Kaiba scowled to himself and clenched his free hand.

_Why did I say that? Why? There was no reason. I've seen her wear that outfit before. What is wrong with me?! _

//ooo//

It was only a short walk to the center. During that walk, Kaiba took a little time to irritably reflect on what he'd said. What on earth had possessed him to say that?

He glanced at Sonja walking a foot or so behind him, staring into nothingness as she usually did. It was impossible to read her thoughts. Sophie could do it, but he had no idea how she did it. Sonja had few expressions, yet Sophie could read her like a picture book. Yet another remnant of her past, he figured. Being emotionless and cold probably helped with basic survival on the streets. But how would he know?

The silence was quite annoying, even though the street around them was bustling with activity. He felt like he wanted to say something to drown it out.

He wondered if he was coming down with something.

//ooo//

Sonja had gone on autopilot. She just acted mechanically, not really paying attention to anything in particular. But she couldn't shake it. Something was bothering her. Something about what he'd said earlier had had her on edge. But why? He'd just said she looked nice. So what? So what if that was totally out of character for him? It wasn't like it mattered, right?

She sighed and stared up at the Space Needle looming above them. Zigfried had said that the show was taking place in the science center the Space Needle stood in the center of. It was being held in some kind of special hall. Sonja supposed she should have brought a book or something.

The inside of the hall was enormous. Sonja could barely see the end. There were tables lined all along the walls and down the center isle displaying new technology of all varieties, from video game software to robotics. Yeah, this was definitely a convention.

"Uh, Seto?" she said skeptically. "Please tell me you're thinking the same thing I am."

"Depends. Are you thinking that this isn't much of a show?" he asked back.

"Yeah. Think we got roped into something different?"

"Ah, unfashionably early, _Herr _Kaiba?"

They both turned as Zigfried approached. Sonja could see that though his attitude had changed, his taste in outdated leisure suits hadn't. At least this one wasn't pink.

"Hey, Zigfried." she greeted casually. "Um, any particular reason this looks more like a convention than a show?"

Zigfried grinned mysteriously.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, zere is." he replied. "You see, zis is no longer as much a trade show as it has become a convention of sorts. Ze same technical aspects apply, no need to worry."

He motioned for them to follow. "Come, I shall escort you to your station."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Kaiba grumbled. "I already know where it is."

Zigfried shrugged. "Suit yourself, _Herr _Kaiba."

He wandered off. Sonja sighed irritably.

"Okay, you do actually know where our station is, right?"

"How stupid do you think I am, Sonja?" Kaiba snapped. Sonja crossed her arms.

"Ask me in a week and I'll have a surefire answer for you." she growled.

"I'll ignore that. We're in station A-37." he said. Without a word, he stalked off. The only people milling around the hall were attendees of the show setting their stations up. Because few companies had dueling technology on display, there was a whole holographic stage set up specifically for the exhibiting duelists. Sonja was familiar with the setup. And it had cured her stage fright.

Their station was directly below the dueling stage. Several of Kaiba's prototype virtual reality pods and helmets were already on display and subsequently chained in place to prevent theft. On the table were two of the latest models of the duel disk. Unlike the five-year-old model Yugi and Joey still used regularly, these were more streamlined, more lightweight and better yet, more compact. They could compress and fold to the size of a video tape and could be removed quickly and efficiently for instant action. And, according to Kaiba, the holograms were ten times better than with the original model. Sonja only wished they could be something other than white.

Kaiba carefully picked one up off the table and handed it to her.

"Here," he said. "You'll need to accustom yourself to this new model. It's slightly different from the one we demonstrated in Orlando."

Sonja fastened it onto her arm and nodded.

"Right. Where can I go where I won't be bothered?"

Kaiba hesitated. While it was necessary to get used to this somewhat new model ahead of time, he had just realized that there was nowhere to do that in this place. Sonja smirked.

"Wow, I can't believe you forgot something." she teased. Kaiba threw her a dangerous look and sighed.

"Forget it. We can practice with them on the roof of the hotel later." he said.

"Will the manager even allow that?" Sonja asked, removing the disk.

"With enough incentive, he will." Kaiba said confidently. Sonja rolled her eyes.

Sonja watched as he walked off to examine the competition. She knew that he was only doing it because he was bored. He knew that even before the show started, they were ahead. But ahead in what? It wasn't a competition. She sighed as she took a seat behind the table and stared at the new models. She had to admit, they were pretty cool.

She really wished she could be exploring Seattle right now when nothing was really going on.

It was going to be a long, long day.

A/N: Whew. Okay, for those of you who noticed the * symbol in the story, I did some research on the German language. _Fraulein _is no longer politically correct when addressing anyone older than fifteen who isn't married. Now, it's just _Frau _for Sonja. Just to clear that up. Now, just to let you all know, next Tuesday, I'm leaving for a few days. Cauryn knows about this because she's so graciously agreed to visit the house and feed Pippy, my dog and feed the hermit crabs as well. I love you Cauryn! You rock! Anyway, we're not going to be anywhere with internet reception so not only can I not update, I can't read email. If you review, I won't be able to get back to you for a while. But I will! Promise. ^_^


	6. Rekindled Flame

A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter as promised. And, this goes out to Elwyn and all others who have asked in the past, this is the big duel scene that took me three hours to write. Part of that was spent finding Kaiba's deck. So I hope you enjoy it, because they're hard to write and that will be the last one for this story.

Rekindled Flame

Sonja was beat. The first day was always boring beyond belief as people set up their stations and prepared statements and other technical things of the sort. She of course had nothing to do with it, so she'd been stuck watching the devices all day. Not that anyone had really tried to take anything. Besides, if they'd been armed or something, what could she realistically do to stop them? She wasn't sure if Kaiba either had too much faith in her attack strength or if he was completely clueless. But then, knowing him, neither was a pretty good assumption. After all, who could possibly know what went through his mind. He and steel traps had a lot in common, that was for sure.

Sonja yawned and glanced around her. Kaiba still hadn't returned and she hadn't seen anyone else for a while. She hoped she hadn't dosed off and everyone had deserted the place on her.

As she was getting ready to get up and look for him, Kaiba suddenly appeared around the corner.

"Ready to go?" he asked blankly.

"Been ready since we got here." she grumbled. She could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile from him, but she was sure she was tired enough to hallucinate.

"They're getting ready to lock up." he said.

"Hm." Sonja said. She got to her feet and stretched. "All set." she said.

They were a few of the last ones to leave. Kaiba had spent the whole day studying the competition.

The walk back to the hotel was silent. She figured he was too preoccupied thinking about the next day when they'd demonstrate the new dueling system. Sonja would have to spend the next few hours arranging her strategies to their maximum potential. She knew she'd never beat Kaiba. But she still liked to be somewhat prepared.

"Be ready for tomorrow." he said as they reached the entrance.

"I know, I know. Please, how many times have we been over this? Besides, what's the point? You always win anyway."

"That isn't the point." he countered. "The point is to show off the new system. It doesn't matter who wins."

"In a pig's eye it doesn't, Seto. Look, I'm beat. Okay? I'm going to my room, arranging my deck and going to sleep."

She pushed past him and headed for the stairs. Kaiba just frowned and followed after her.

//ooo//

On the other side of the country, Sophie was busy rummaging through her suitcase as Ursula sat on the bed and watched bemusedly as Sophie's expression went from worried to horrified in seconds.

"It's not here!" she cried, yanking on her hair.

"Oh, quit being so dramatic. What's not there?" Ursula asked.

"My MP3 player, the one Sonja gave me for my birthday last year! I sure hope I didn't leave it at the airport!"

She whined and resumed tearing the contents of case out and hurling them throughout the room. There was a knock at the door and Ursula turned at Mokuba's voice.

"It's unlocked!" she called. The door, being one of the old-fashioned ones that didn't require a card key, opened and Mokuba stepped in. He took in the mess surrounding Sophie and raised an eyebrow.

"Sheesh, looks like a tornado hit this place." he commented. Sophie sighed and ignored him. She picked up her cell phone.

"Well, if I didn't leave it at the airport, it has to be at home. I never leave home without that thing."

She dialed her home number and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Come on, come on, pick up." she growled. She heard the click as the other line was answered.

_"Hello?" _

"Daichi? Hey, it's Sophie."

"_Yeah? What's up?" _

"Oh nothing, only that I'm on the verge of panic. Please tell me my MP3 player is somewhere in the house? It's blue and red and it's an older model with mint green ear buds."

_"Hang on." _he said in his usual bored-out-of-his-mind voice. Sophie waited for a few seconds before she started tapping her foot again and glaring at the ceiling. Finally, Daichi got back on.

_"Yeah, it was on the counter." _

Sophie let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. I was afraid I left it at the airport."

_"Even if you had, I doubt anyone would want it." _

Sophie's face went cherry red.

"Wha-what was that?!" she shrieked. "Hey buddy, I'll have you know that Sonja saved up for months to buy me that MP3 player and you'd better not go around insulting it! You hear me?"

_"Fine, fine, jeez. You're worse than Arika." _

" Speaking of which, how is she?" Sophie asked. Mokuba snickered at the abrupt mood change and Sophie threw a raspberry at him.

"_Sleeping. No, more like passed out from the pain medication. She's been eating those things like candy since you left." _

"Well can you really blame her? Just don't let her kill herself."

_"Damn." _

Sophie couldn't help it, but she burst out laughing.

_"What's so funny?" _

"I can't believe this! I got you to talk for over a minute! You've said more now than you have the entire time you've been at our house!"

_"...."_

"Hello? Are you still there? If you went and hung up on me-"

"_I'm still on the line. You're such a dope." _

"I am _not _a dope! You're the dope, mister!"

_"Bye." _

"Hey! Hey wait, what about my MP3 player? Is it all right? Hey!"

But he'd already hung up. Sophie sighed irritably and clicked her phone off.

"That guy is such a creep!" she hissed.

//ooo//

Sonja lay back against the pillow and sighed.

"Finally done." she said. She reached beside her and gathered her deck back into a neat bundle. She set it on the bedside table and got up, heading into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. She had to get some sleep for the next day. It was going to be tiring to say the least. Those duels always took it all out of her. And the fact that she always lost wasn't the greatest morale booster.

She switched on the television to Animal Planet. A documentary about Steve Irwin was on. His death had shocked the animal lovers' world. It was pretty sad, but at the moment, Sonja was too worn out to really mull it over. She had to get ready for tomorrow.

She shut off the television again and buried herself beneath the covers. She hated the soapy smell hotel blankets seemed to acquire. She really missed her fluffy green comforter back at home. After about ten minutes in the dryer, wrapping up like a cocoon was seventh heaven. That and falling asleep inside it. She couldn't do that with a hotel blanket. It just wasn't the same.

She sighed. Tomorrow, she'd have to duel Kaiba once again. And, like always, she'd lose pathetically. At least the last time near heat stroke had given her a legitimate reason.

With these irritating and at times, troubling thoughts, Sonja gradually drifted off to sleep.

//ooo//

Bright and early, Sonja was awake before the hotel wake-up call she'd asked for. By the time they finally did call her, she was already dressed and ready to go. She'd decided to wear something simple, yet dressy so as to help with the virtual system's image. No one would really see her until she was to duel Kaiba. She'd really stay out of the way and watch as he explained the virtual technology and holographic systems to the potential buyers and usual onlookers. Today's choice was a tan denim skort and a simple white blouse. She let her long hair stay loose and just tied a small bit of it back out of her eyes. After checking over her deck one final time, she figured she was as ready as she'd ever be.

She was about to open the door when she heard the knock.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." she grumbled. She opened the door and shouldered her bag, stepping out and locking the door behind her.

"You don't look thrilled." Kaiba muttered sarcastically.

"Uh, why would I be? I'm about to get trounced again in front of dozens of people. Just try to go easy on me this time, huh? I would hope you haven't forgotten last time."

"I'm well aware of what happened last time. But I doubt you'll have trouble with the weather." he snapped. "Washington's climate is the mildest in the country."

"Yeah, whatever."

This was how the second day usually went. A brief argument followed by total and complete silence until it was time. She really wasn't all that happy with him anyway.

When they reached the lobby, Sonja stormed past the desk and stopped outside, glaring into the street. The manager stared after her.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"Who knows." Kaiba replied as he passed him.

The hall was nothing like the empty somewhat quiet place it had been the day before. This time, it was bustling with people wall to wall. Kaiba frowned and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He glared at it and then looked back at the clock on the wall behind them.

"That moron," he mumbled. "They gave us the wrong time to be here. We're an hour late."

"It's not like it matters. Lets' just get this over with." Sonja growled.

She disappeared into the crowd heading toward the stage before he could tell her that they still had an hour to go yet. He supposed he should take this time to prepare his deck.

Sonja found a somewhat quieter area behind the stage. She knew it would be awhile before she was actually called to duel. But she needed time to think. She always hated this part. Not because she didn't enjoy dueling. It was because of what happened every time during the duel. Kaiba always changed. He always seemed like his life's goal was to totally destroy her from the moment he drew his first card. Ever since the first duel, she'd figured her only defense against his ruthless attitude was to adopt a similar persona for the duels. So far, she had yet to see any improvment.

"Hey, look over there!"

"Isn't that Seto's Kaiba's dueling partner?"

Sonja pretended not to hear them. They were either wannabe duelists or nerds come to look at the new virtual reality systems. Most people recognized her. Besides, how many young girls had pure snow white hair? She was pretty memorable, unfortunately.

She glanced over. They were probably around fourteen or fifteen. Brothers probably, with similar faces and black hair.

"Can I help you?" she asked. They froze up.

"Uh, yeah." the older one said. "Do you think you could get us good tickets to watch the duel later?"

Sonja scowled and stalked over.

"Listen, the duel is nothing but a publicity stunt. Anyone who wants to can watch. There aren't tickets."

They looked at each other, clearly disappointed.

"Well," ventured the younger one. "Do you think you could set us up to meet the guy? We're huge fans."

"Why don't you just go talk to him? He's around here somewhere." Sonja suggested, folding her arms. They seemed to shrink in on themselves and Sonja regretted her coldness toward them. They were just young geeks out to enjoy the show and hopefully meet one of their apparent idols. She sighed in defeat.

"All right, if you won't go yourselves, I'll take you." she said. "Follow me."

They grinned and high-fived each other.

"Thanks a lot, Sonja!"

She paused and glanced back at them.

"How'd you geeks know my name?" she asked curiously. The elder started laughing uproariously.

"Come off it, your name's plastered on all the online forums talking about Kaiba showing up at this show. You're almost as popular as he is."

His brother snickered. "I know three guys online who all want your phone number." he chuckled.

Sonja smiled wryly. "Really. Well, they can have it." she said. Both brothers' eyes bugged out of their heads.

"What!?"

"Sure. It's 555-5555." Sonja said. The elder glanced at the younger and raised an eyebrow.

"But, that's an impossible phone number." he said.

"If your friends online are smart, they'll realize that and know that I'm flattered, but not interested. If they think it's a real number and get the operator instead, that's their problem."

She turned anc continued on. The younger brother high-fived the elder again.

"She's even more awesome in person!" he exclaimed excitedly.

They followed Sonja back to the stand where the virtual helmets and the new duel disks were sitting underneath covers. Kaiba was standing behind the table keeping an eye on his creations.

"Hey, Seto," she said. He turned.

"Good timing. We go on soon." he said. He glanced curiously at her two followers who ducked behind her as soon as he saw them. Sonja rolled her eyes and shoved them both out into sight. She sighed.

"These two are, as they say, huge fans. They asked me if they could meet you." she said simply. Kaiba just nodded in greeting. Sonja rolled her eyes again.

"M-My name is Gary Sloan." the elder stammered, attempting a cool, mature outlook. "T-This is my kid brother, Andy."

"We're huge fans of the duel disk you invented!" Andy chimed out.

"Thanks." Kaiba muttered. But it was clear he didn't want to talk to them. Sonja scowled.

"You know, you could at least pretend you're interested." she snapped.

"Just be ready to go in a few minutes." he told her.

"I've been ready since last night! Is this little puclicity stunt all that matters?"

"It improves the image of the new system, Sonja. We've been over this."

"That's all, huh? You don't give a damn about the mental toll it takes on your opponent! I'll see you up there."

She whirled and headed toward the stage, vanishing in the tight crowds. The brothers stared after her concernedly. Gary looked up at Kaiba.

"Hey, is something wrong with her?" he asked. "She never acts like that at other shows. I've seen videos of the duels online."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. Something was a wrong. Sonja rarely used profanity of any kind. You could tell she was mad when she did.

"Hope she's okay." Andy said, staring off in the direction she'd gone.

//ooo//

Before the duel, Sonja had given herself some time to figure out how the new duel disks worked. They were actually quite similar to the old version from back during the Battle City tournament. Of course, bringing that up wouldn't be the wisest option. Kaiba was still pretty bitter about it, even five years later.

Sonja strapped it to her arm and released the catch holding it in place. If she actually turned it on, it would then fire out the portable holo-projectors and the duel would begin. However, it remained semi-activated as she folded it back up again. The only problem was that folded up, it looked like some kind of bat wing attached to her arm. But it was a mere design _faux pas_ and Kaiba wouldn't care.

She heard someone approaching behind her. She sighed. He had a very distinct step.

"What do you want?" she grumbled. "I'm getting ready for the duel, just like you said."

"What's gotten into you? You've been acting weird since yesterday." he said.

"What's it to you?" she mumbled. "Look, I just want to get this duel over with. I've gotten used to the new model and I'll see you up there. Okay?"

With that, she stormed off.

It was just as well. The host of the show was climbing the stage steps to announce the upcoming duel. Because the virtual technology was always the most popular, this duel was the highlight of the entire show.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming. My name is Ted Rogers and I'll be your host for this show. Before the presentation of this year's collection, we'll have a special demonstration of Kaiba Corporation's latest duel disk system."

Kaiba waited at the right entrance to the stage behind the wall. Sonja knew the drill, too. She'd be somewhere by the left side and take her position at the other end of the stage.

"Please welcome Seto Kaiba, creator of the portable duel disk and his partner, Sonja Gavens."

That was their cue. Kaiba made his way out and ascended the steps to the stage platform. He saw Sonja following the same pattern on the other side, face completely blank of all expression.

"Let the opening duel begin!" The host declared, throwing in some overkill to what was supposed to be a serious event. It didn't really matter.

He released the catch on his duel disk and it unfolded with a mechanic snap. The holo-projectors launched outward and came to gliding stops on the stage floor, turning on with humming sounds.

Sonja did the same and slid her deck into the card recognizer. Four thousand lifepoints registered on both their disks automatically.

"Lets' duel!" they declared.

"Ladies' first." Sonja said. She drew her hand.

_Hm. Not too bad a start. But I have no idea what he's planning. My best bet...wait! Masked Dragon! Its effect when destroyed will let me summon a new monster from my deck with 1500 or less! Maybe I can use this to my advantage. _

"I'll start by placing a monster face-down defensive mode. And these two cards face-down for good measure. You're up." she declared. The holographic card that appeared on her side of the field looked more realistic than she'd ever seen. It was almost as though it really were tangible.

_Hope he takes my bluff._

"About time." Kaiba grumbled. He studied his hand and frowned.

_I've certainly seen better beginning hands. I could use Card of Demise to improve it. And a Cyber Jar. Sonja's improved more and more each time. For now, I'd better play it safe and place if face-down. I can always use its flip effect to destroy any monsters she might be planning on summoning. _

"For my first move, I activate Card of Demise. I draw five cards. If I don't use them all in five turns, then I lose them all in five turns."

_Excellent! A Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Not too bad a hand. _

"Next, I place two cards face-down on the field and summon a monster in face-down defensive mode as well."

Sonja frowned and drew a card

_Perfect. It's my Paralyzing Potion card. This could really help me if he gets crafty. Lets' see...instead of letting him destroy my Masked Dragon, I could always sacrifice it to summon my Agent of Judgment-Saturn. But I don't have Santuary of The Sky, so its effect won't apply. But its attack power is 2400, more than enough to take a huge chunk out of his Lifepoints with a single attack." _

She studied the field.

_Then there's his face-down monster. In one of our past duels, it was Cyber Jar. That thing's effect is both a curse and a blessing. Maybe I'd better not attack with Agent of Judgment-Saturn just yet. I'll get rid of his monster with Masked Dragon for now. Better safe than sorry. _

"All right, my move. I reveal my face-down monster, Masked Dragon!" she called. In a flurry of golden light particles, the dragon emerged with a roar and flapped its wings. Sonja was amazed that the holo-projectors were so advanced, they even created the sensation of a resulting breeze and the audience loved it. Like a real animal, her dragon blinked and seemed to study her opponent. It even sniffed the air in the direction of the audience. Sonja had to admit, this thing was impressive.

"Masked Dragon," she cried. "Destroy his face-down monster!"

In a blast of light, Cyber Jar was revealed before it shattered into hundreds of holographic shards. Sonja winced, knowing what was coming.

"Hah! Now we both have to draw five cards." Kaiba said. "Summon all level 4 or lower monsters to the field."

"I'm aware of the rules." Sonja snapped. "I have nothing that can be special summoned." she growled. Kaiba smirked.

" I call La Jinn, The Mystical Genie of The Lamp to the field." Kaiba declared.

Sonja sighed. "My turn's over."

"Fine." Kaiba said as he drew a card. "La Jinn, attack her Masked Dragon, now!"

In a burst of red hot flame, her Masked Dragon let out a final shriek before it was eliminated. Sonja's Life-points dropped down 400 points.

"My turn again." she said, drawing a card. "I place one card face-down. Next, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Masked Dragon. Now, I'll sacrifice my dragon in order to summon my Agent of Judgment-Saturn."

The monster appeared on the field with a graceful flap of its huge, dark purple wings.

"Agent of Judgment-Saturn, attack his La Jinn with Cosmic Radiation!"

Kaiba growled in irritation as his monster was obliterated before his eyes.

"My move." he said. "First, I'll discard one Thunder Dragon to activate its effect, giving me two more Thunder Dragons from my deck. Next, I'll sacrifice both of them to summon my mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Sonja winced as the creature appeared on the field with a ferocious roar, eyeing her montster almost hungrily.

"Now, Blue Eyes, attack her Agent of Judgment-Saturn!"

Sonja could only watch helplessly as the dragon's White Lighting ripped through her side of the field, annihilating her monster and bringing her down 600 points.

"Scared yet?" Kaiba taunted. This was what Sonja hated. They were supposed to be friends. But his taunts almost always got out of hand.

"Hardly." she snapped. "Irritated is more like it."

She drew a card.

"First, I'll activate a powerful magic card known as Paralyzing Potion to freeze that dragon in place."

The Blue-Eyes seemed to freeze up as though iced over.

"Next, I'll place yet another card face-down on the field and summon Sacred Crane, in defense mode. And that's all."

Kaiba scowled and drew a card.

"I place two cards face-down." he said. "And that's all for now."

"Now who's scared?" Sonja muttered to herself. Kaiba frowned, but didn't seem to hear her.

"Okay," she said. "First, I activate White Dragon Ritual. I offer my Sacred Crane as a tribute in order to summon Paladin of White Dragon. in defense mode. Also, this turn, my Paralyzing Potion wears off."

"Good." Kaiba said. "Now, I'll summon Lord of Dragons. He protects my Blue Eyes from any and all trap, magic and monster effects as long as he stays on the field."

"Uh oh." Sonja mumbled. She glanced at the Spellbinding Circle she had face-down on the hopes that he would attack. Now, it was useless and her Paladin was a sitting duck.

"Blue Eyes, attack her Paladin of White Dragon!"

Sonja sighed as the holographic shards dissipated. Her monster had been in defense mode, so her Life-points were spared for the moment. She drew a card and for a moment, she smiled a little.

"I play Tribute to the Doomed." she said calmly.

"Not that card!" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Yes, this card. I discard one card from my hand and now, I can send your Lord of Dragons to the graveyard."

A holographic mummified hand erupted out of the ground, seized the Lord of Dragons and then dragged it back down into the hole it had created, sealing up the earth after it. Kaiba scowled at Sonja.

"I'm not done," she said. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

In truth, she wasn't really trying. She didn't enjoy dueling him. She was just sort of making up her strategies as she went, seeing how she used mainly magic and trap cards, whereas Kaiba relied on powerful monsters.

"Good." he said, drawing a card. "First, I have to discard the one remaining card I didn't use with Card of Demise. Next, I'll activate Monster Reborn as well. The monster I discarded was Kaiser Sea Horse, so I'm bringing him back without a sacrifice. Then, I'll activate Kaiser Sea Horse's special ability, which lets him act as two tributes for the price of one, allowing me to summon my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand!"

Sonja just sighed.

"Now, Blue Eyes, attack her Life-points directly!"

Sonja just watched calmly as the attack hurtled toward her.

As Kaiba expected to see the attack hit dead on, he was shocked when it suddenly stopped in midair and dissipated. The dragon was flailing wildly where it stood, encompassed by some kind of spell.

"No!" he yelled.

"Yes." Sonja replied grimly. "I activated my Spellbinding Circle. Not only is your dragon frozen, but its attack points are dropped down to 2500."

"It doesn't matter. I still have another dragon waiting to finish you off." Kaiba declared. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack her Life-points and this time, end this duel!"

This time, he was sure he'd won. But when Sonja's points started to go down and then suddenly began going back up at the same time, he knew something had happened again.

"What did you do this time?" he demanded.

"Played this." she said, holding up a card. "It's a trap known as Enchanted Javelin. When your dragon attacked, it increased my Life-points by 3000, giving me 6000 points. Then, I only lost 3000 again, so I'm back to my total from before the attack."

Kaiba sighed irritably.

"You've gotten better." he commented. "But you've only managed to buy yourself some time. My turns ends now, but next turn, you're history."

Sonja drew a card.

"First, I'll activate Card Destruction. We both lose our hands and redraw them same amount we discarded."

She drew five more cards from her hand. She studied them and knowing that she was going to lose anyway, decided to go down fighting.

"Next, I'll activate Premature Burial. I'll bring back my most powerful spirit monster, known as Hino-Kagu Tsuchi."

Kaiba had a feeling he knew what she was going to do next.

"Now, since your second dragon is weakened by my trap card, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack the second Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Kaiba watched angrily as his Life-point meter went down 300 points for his weakened creature.

"Good, Sonja, but not good enough. In destroying my Blue Eyes, you triggered my trap, the Crush Card Virus. All monsters on your side of the field with 1500 attack points or more are destroyed. This includes your Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi and all other monsters in your deck."

Sonja just watched as her ultimate creature was destroyed.

"Good job." she said. "Now go ahead and move in for the _coux de gras." _

"Go, Blue-Eyes, attack her Life-points directly with White Lightning!"

Sonja's Life-points dropped down to zero. She'd lost-again.

The holo-projectors were reeled back into the duel disks and the systems were shut off. Sonja removed hers and stood holding it as she watched the host wander back onto the stage.

"Was that a fiery duel or what? Lets' really hear it!"

Sonja turned and made her way off the stage as the audience roared their appreciation. Kaiba watched her go somewhat concernedly. He wanted to know what on earth was wrong with her. She'd totally lost all interest in the duel and he was pretty sure she hadn't really been trying. Fortunately, the audience didn't seem to notice or if they did, care.

Sonja exited the hall and passed Zigfried and Leon preparing for their duel to demonstrate their virtual and holographic systems. Zigfried frowned when she passed, but didn't say anything. He didn't think she'd want to talk at the moment. Leon, however didn't get the message.

"Hey, Sonja, are you okay?" he called. Sonja paused.

"I'm fine." she said. "I'm going back to the hotel. Good luck with your duel."

With that, she hurried off.

"What's up with her?" Leon asked. Zigfried sighed and shook his head.

"It vould seem zat _Herr _Kaiba has not yet noticed the fragility of his rare butterfly. He doesn't notice how such seemingly insignificant things affect it so deeply."

Leon sighed in defeat. It was almost impossible to understand Zigfried's metaphors.

//ooo//

Sonja lay on her bed back at the hotel with her head hanging over the edge, staring at the upside-down world.

"Well, another show, come and gone." she mumbled. "And it's not even noon."

She sighed and sat up, closing her eyes to quell the dizziness as the blood rushed from her head.

"I wonder how Sophie's doing. Hope she's having fun in..._oh crud! I forgot to tell her about the extra day!_"

Sonja hurriedly grabbed her phone and dialed the number.

'Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up...PICK UP!!" She yelled.

_"Hello?" _

"Sophie! It's me." Sonja exclaimed.

_"Oh, hey, sis, how'd the duel go? No wait, let me guess. You lost with flying colors, right? Hehe." _

"Sophie listen, I forgot to tell you, Seto planned a review day after the show is over. I'll be here longer than I thought. Will you be all right by yourself?"

_"Sure. Don't worry about a thing. Oh, and I called the house a few times. It's just fine." _

"Arika answered? I was sure the pain medication would knock her out for days."

_"No, Daichi answered." _

"Daichi?" Sonja exclaimed. "He answered? But he never says anything."

_"I know. Weird, ain't it? Well anyway, we've been chatting and he's taking care of the house. It turns out he's good at cooking and said he'll make us some fancy French cuisine when we get back. How's that sound, sis?" _

"Well, at least they aren't destroying the place. Are you having fun in New York?"

_"Oh yeah! We got to go up the Statue of Liberty! It was so awesome!" _

"I'm glad you're having fun." Sonja said quietly.

_"Aren't you having fun in Seattle?" _

"Sophie, I just got creamed again. I'm really not in the mood to do anything. Remember, I'm only here as Seto's dueling partner. That's all."

_"Listen, Sonja, quit being so down. It doesn't become you." _

"'Become me'?" Sonja asked skeptically.

"_Ursula's been schooling me in fancy talk." _Sophie said proudly.

"I can tell." Sonja grumbled.

_"Anyway, try to enjoy yourself a little. Okay? For me?" _

Sonja sighed and smiled.

"Okay, for you." she said. "But for now, I'm going to rest a bit."

_"All right. Bye Sonja." _

"Bye Sophie."

She hung the phone up and leaned back against the pillow. Right about now, the virtual reality systems would be given the once over by officials and volunteers. Kaiba probably wouldn't even notice she was gone.

But he had noticed.

Getting away from the hall wasn't as easy for him as it was for Sonja. She had this way of blending into crowds without really trying. He couldn't figure out how she did it, but he would have loved to learn. He managed to get outside without being spotted and took a few minutes to enjoy fresh air. The hall was being to smell like motor oil with all the different machines running.

He wondered where Sonja had gone.

"Greetings, _Herr _Kaiba."

Kaiba groaned inwardly and turned.

"What do you want, Zigfried?" he growled. Zigfried shrugged, moving to stand next to him. He turned his eyes toward the sky.

"You seem troubled, my friend."

"We're not friends, Zigfried. Don't go fooling yourself into thinking we are." Kaiba snapped.

"_Herr_ Kaiba, I came not to make trouble, but to offer my assistance."

"How could you possibly help me?" Kaiba grumbled.

"So you zen admit to needing help?"

Kaiba scowled. "Absolutely not."

Zigfried sighed. "I understand your reluctance, _Herr _Kaiba. Matters of ze heart are truly sensitive matters indeed."

"What are you babbling about?"

"Please, Kaiba, it is written all over you. You are struggling wiz matters new to you. Please correct me if I am wrong, which I am quite positive I am not."

Kaiba just glared at him.

"What are you getting at?"

Zigfried took on an almost knowledgeable look in his eyes. Seeing his arch rival actually being serious for once was really quite unnerving for Kaiba.

"Tell me, _Herr _Kaiba, what is Sonja to you?"

Kaiba wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"An acquaintance." Kaiba replied. He supposed that was a suitable answer but he really didn't like discussing anything with Zigfried, much less what he thought of somebody he'd known for years.

"An acquaintance." Zigfried repeated. "Is zis all?"

"Yes." Kaiba growled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm exhausted for today."

He turned and stalked off, leaving Zigfried to stare after him.

"Pay careful watch on your butterfly, _Herr _Kaiba. It might just set itself free _und _soar away into the skies, never to be snared again."

//ooo//

Kaiba kept mumbling to himself as he made his way back to the hotel. Zigfried had a way of getting to him, really getting to him. For him, it seemed his sole existence was to drive Kaiba nuts. Besides, what he was talking about made no sense. Why was he spending so much time delving into things he had no business snooping around in?

Unfortunately, Zigfried's words had left an effect and Kaiba felt uneasy.

What _was_ Sonja to him? Was she _really _just an acquaintance? Or...had she become something more in his life?

He didn't notice where he'd been going until he found himself outside his door. He glanced over at the door adjoining his and frowned.

He unlocked the room and went in. He was sure he was just tired and letting Zigfried mess with his head. Besides, even if Sonja had come to mean something to him as more than an acquaintance, it wasn't like she cared or anything. After what she'd been through throughout her life, he was really surprised she trusted him at all.

He sat down on the bed and sighed. He somehow knew that sleep would evade him that night. He was so tired, but it was almost like he'd become too tired to sleep, as ironic as that was.

He was about to get his laptop for some last-minute reviewing when his cell phone began to ring. He answered it on the third ring.

"Seto Kaiba."

_"Hey, big bro! How's it going?" _

Kaiba smiled slightly at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Could be better. Are you enjoying New York?"

_"You bet! Sophie and I are having a blast up here! Ursula just rented a movie we can all watch in our last night here. It's an old black and white horror film. Ursula said that the effects are so bad, that the movie is actually funny!" _

"I'm not sure about that, Mokuba. You know what horror movies do to you." Kaiba said.

_"Come on, Seto, I'm a teenager, now. I'm fine! Horror films are real popular right now. Besides, the other movie we're gonna watch is Jaws. The worst that'll happen is I won't be able to go in the water after wards." _

"Fine." Kaiba told him. "Listen, we're going to be here an extra day, so stay out of trouble when you get back. All right?"

_"Gotcha. Oh, gotta go. The movie's starting and ...hey, Sophie! Come on, save me some popcorn, will ya?" _

"Bye Mokuba." Kaiba said as they started up their usual arguments. He wouldn't even notice that he'd hung up. Kaiba sighed and got out his laptop. He decided to check his email and see if maybe Damon had answered his message.

After scrolling through the spam that the filter had missed, the business letters and all other junk from months ago he had stored in there for one reason or another, he found a very new message with Sonja's name attached to it. He frowned and opened the letter. As he read, he felt a gnawing sensation of failure sweeping through him.

**I don't know what kind of joke this is, but don't you dare bother me and tell me that my children are still alive and waiting for me to come find them. You're just some online creep who gets his kicks from impersonating people and pulling the wool over someone's eyes. I don't know how you found out their names, but don't ever bother me again with your trash mail. Got that, punk? **

Kaiba read and re-read the message, trying to absorb it. Damon didn't believe him. He thought he was some kind of online joker trying to con him. He sighed and opened up a word composition for another email.

This was probably going to be tougher than he thought.

A/N: Okay, how many of you weren't expecting anything that happened? Now, I'll be gone all day tomorrow, so I don't know when I'll be able to log on but have faith. A new chapter will arrive soon.


	7. Of Stars and Ice

A/N: Okay, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! And beware, the first little bit was inspired by Cauryn's recent work. I'm not saying it's not good, it's great. It's just a little morbid. But make sure to check out her stories, too. We're the first to come up with a pairing for Getbackers, Natsumi and Akabane! That's right, we were the first. At least I think we were. I'll have to double-check but from what I remember, we were the first to come up with it, and she was the first to write it. She's going to rewrite it, I think. But what she already has is awesome! It's called Underlying Personalities. And her Pokemon one, Under the Skin, rocks! It is, Under the Skin, right Cauryn? Okay, fluff alert. You guys, especially you, Elwyn-chan, have all been waiting for this. Luv ya!

Of Stars and Ice

The clock read one in the morning. Sonja was breathing heavily, tangled in her blanket as she flailed in her sleep, drenched in a cold sweat and mumbling.

"No...leave them alone...no." she mumbled. "No...please, leave them alone. No!"

With a cry, she bolted up, gasping for air and pulling the blanket up to her chin. She was still trembling from the dream, recollections of her past. Recently, she'd been having more nightmares and night-terrors for some reason. But night-terrors were worse. Far, far worse. Sometimes she started sleepwalking because of them and Sophie more than once found her on the roof brandishing a cleaver in the air.

Sonja shakily got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. She knew of one thing that worked whenever she had this problem. She turned the faucet on full blast, plugged up the drain and once it was full, she ducked her head into the water for a few seconds before bursting to the surface for air. Pale hands gripped the porcelain molding as she stared at her ragged reflection in the mirror. She was actually quite ghastly looking. She almost scared herself.

A sudden pounding at her door made her turn, gazing blearily out of the bathroom.

_"Sonja! What's going on? Sonja, open this door!" _

She felt a sinking feeling when she realized she must have been screaming in her sleep again. She quickly pushed her hair back so as not to scare him out of his wits when he saw her and slowly went to open the door. She put the chain on and opened it as far as it would go with it. Kaiba glared in at her.

"Sonja, what's going on?" he demanded. She saw someone kind of shove him backward revealing a man and a woman in their late thirties peering in at her concernedly.

"Young lady, are you all right?" The woman asked. She sort of resembled Ursula.

"F-Fine." Sonja said. "J-Just a nightmare."

"Yeah right," the man said skeptically. "It sounded like you were being stabbed. We could hear you halfway down the hall!"

"Trevor! Ugh. Miss, would you mind if I came in?" the woman asked gently.

"We don't even know you." she heard Kaiba snap. The woman turned, her braid falling over her shoulder. She peered over her glasses at him.

"You're with her?"

"No. I'm in the room next to hers."

The woman rolled her eyes.

"I'm a nurse," she said. "You really don't look well from this and I'd like to help if I could."

"No, I'm fine. Really." Sonja said. "Just...just nightmares. That's all."

She looked away. "Thank you, though."

With that, she shut and locked the door. The woman sighed.

"That was no nightmare." she said. "I hear those kinds of screams from Vietnam veterans I sometimes treat."

She gave Kaiba a serious look.

"Do you know anything about this?" she asked.

"It isn't my business to tell you." Kaiba said sternly. "However, she has a bit of a difficult past and it comes back to haunt her now and then."

And with those final words, he returned to his room as well and shut the door, leaving the worried couple in the hallway to wonder.

//ooo//

Sonja clutched a pillow to her chest and cried into it, muffling any sound she might make. Her whole body shook with the lingering terror of it all. She knew what she'd seen hadn't actually happened, but it was horrible to remember. Her mother's face, the eyes actually missing as she reached limply toward her. Her father, grotesquely mutilated and lying dead against the wall. Sophie and Sam both tied and dead, throats slit. And then her, watching in horror from the stairs as Allan's horrible face appeared before her, those gross, disfigured hands reaching out for her with the most evil look in his eyes.

She'd always call out, calling for anyone to come and help, to save her and her family. Then, just as Allan was about to do something nightmarish, the details of which she always mercifully forgot, she'd scream herself awake.

But recently, she'd started to see others in there along with her family. This most recent dream, this very night was a textbook example.

This time, it had been in her apartment. Both Allan and Mick were there and typical dream scenario, so were the slashed bodies of her family lying strewn on the floor. This time though, Sophie was still alive and Kaiba and Mokuba were there too. She was forced to watch as Allan killed Sophie by slitting her throat and then Mokuba when he ran to defend her. Even when Kaiba tried to help her and avenge his brother, Allan somehow overpowered him, stabbing him and then abandoning his lifeless body, moving toward Sonja. Every time, her dream self stared into the eyes of the dead all around her; Sophie's, Mokuba's and Kaiba's. And the same as before, she'd scream herself awake as Allan approached her.

And now, it was sinking in that she was alone and would be alone for several more hours until daylight sent its blessed rays into her room and chased her dark dreams away, at least until evening.

"I'm scared." she whispered. "I'm so scared. Mama, daddy...." she whimpered, using names for her parents she hadn't used in years. "I'm scared, mama, I'm really scared."

She clenched the sheets tight and sobbed quietly into she finally cried herself into a restless sleep.

//ooo//

Kaiba knocked several times on Sonja's door the following morning. But she wasn't answering. That whole bit the night before had shaken him up quite a bit. He'd heard her screaming even as he slept and thought immediately that something was wrong.

"Sonja?" he called. "It's time to get going."

No answer. He frowned.

"Sonja!"

Still nothing. Kaiba shook his head and sighed.

"Whatever." he mumbled. He turned and walked away, trying to ignore the nagging feeling he's had since he heard her screaming the night before.

Inside the room, Sonja lay on the bed in a jumbled mess of sheets and blanket. Her eyes cloudy, she watched almost unblinking as the sun slowly ascended through the blinds.

"Finally." she whispered. She'd heard Kaiba outside. But she wasn't about to go to the remainder of the show today. Not after what she'd seen in the dream. The sight of him lying lifeless amongst the bodies of her family members. Yes, it was a dream, but a nauseating one nonetheless. She was sure she couldn't face him at the moment without seeing that terrifying image.

"Why?" she mumbled. "Why are you in there now, too? Wasn't it bad enough with just my family?"

She switched on the television to try to calm down with some cartoons or something. Unfortunately, nothing good and mindless was on. She opted for a little comforting noise and left the television on as she went into the bathroom. She decided she needed a good shower to try to calm down.

As she let the icy water cascade over her, she desperately tried to banish that horrifying dream from her mind. It was always like this after one of her night-terrors. They were so much more different than nightmares. And there was nothing to be done for them. She blamed everything on Allan. He'd ruined her life. Even years after they put him away, she still couldn't be rid of his shadow he'd left hanging over her, still controlling her, even though he was no longer around. She was still his prisoner.

She got out, dried her hair and got dressed. Then she sat down on the bed and turned on the television again, this time to the History Channel. It was some documentary on Hitler's old diaries. She'd seen this one before.

As she was slowly drifting into sleep again, she heard another knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she called half-heartedly.

_"I vill give you three guesses und ze first two don't count." _

Sonja sighed.

"Hang on."

She got up, went over to the door, opened it and then returned to her seat on the bed as Zigfried came in.

"Good morning, _Frau_ Sonja. I vas at ze show _und _I noticed zat you seemed to be missing. Upon questioning _Herr _Kaiba, he told me you had locked yourself in here and refused to come out."

"Yeah." Sonja grumbled. "I didn't feel up to going today."

"To tell you ze truth, you don't look well at all, _Frau _Sonja. Is something ze matter?"

"No, not really. I just had a bad night." Sonja answered. Zigfried frowned skeptically.

"I can see zat you are lying to me." he said. Sonja stared hard at him and then sighed.

"So what if I am?"

Zigfried moved to sit down in the chair beside the television opposite where Sonja was sitting. He leaned forward seriously.

"Sonja," he started, "I have been very fond of you ever since ze day I met you. In zis manner, it concerns me greatly to see you zis distraught. If I am able, I vould like to help."

She saw in his eyes that he was being serious, _for once_. She glanced at the floor and hesitated. She really did want to talk about it. She sighed.

"If Seto found out I'm confiding in you, he'd be livid." she said. Zigfried smirked and nodded.

"Zis is true."

"But for some reason, I find it easier to talk to you as more of a friend, Zigfried." Sonja mumbled.

"Probably because I have an, how you say, open mind."

Sonja smiled weakly.

"I suffer from night terrors." she admitted quietly. Zigfried blinked in surprise.

"Night terrors." he repeated. "Nightmares?"

Sonja shook her head. "No, these are ten times worse. In all my dreams, I see my family slaughtered and Allan standing over me. Just as he's about to do...something, to me, I scream myself awake. Seto heard that last night. In these dreams, I can actually feel pain, but it's hard to wake up. The things I sometimes see are horrifying."

"Who, may I ask, is Allan?"

"It's a long story but to put it short, he ruined my life and destroyed my family. But last night's dream was different. Seto was there too. Allan had killed Mokuba who was trying to defend Sophie, my sister. Seto was trying to avenge his brother and protect me. That's when...Allan kills him too. But the worst part are their eyes, just staring at me like it's my fault. I got them into that mess and I can't find a way to put it right."

Sonja curled into a ball, resisting the urge to cry. Zigfried sighed and got up, moving to sit down next to Sonja. He pulled her against him comfortingly.

"Let it out, Sonja. You are a strong girl _und _you spend too much time preserving that image."

But Sonja still refused to cry. She just coughed dryly and covered her eyes.

"I...I just...." she muttered.

"I understand, Sonja." Zigfried told her. "Your dream is upsetting _und_ I can tell you zis; you care very much for _Herr _Kaiba. Zis would explain his appearance in your dreams."

"He's my friend, of course I care about him." Sonja backfired.

"I understand. But for him to appear in you dream _und_ perish like ze members of your family shows your level of caring for him. And ze level of stress you have accumulated is simply too much for you to bear alongside your concern for him."

"I'm just weak right now, that's all." Sonja grumbled. Zigfried chuckled.

"Everyone is at some point or another." he said. He then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out something wrapped in paper. He handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"I believe you vill need zis more zan I." he said. She took it and opened it. She shook her head.

"I can't accept this." she said.

"Sonja, you have had a very stressful journey _und_ standing at ze top of ze Space Needle and staring at ze wonders of the night sky is a proven cure. Besides, zose passes have been sitting in ze back of my suitcase for months."

"But what about Leon? He really wanted to go up." Sonja said.

"To a millionaire such as myself, zey are mere pennies per pass. And don't vorry, Leon vill understand. Ve vill go up tomorrow instead of zis evening."

Sonja looked at him and then at the passes. Zigfried pulled her into a comforting hug when she finally started to cry.

"It's going to be all right, Sonja." he told her. "I promise."

//ooo//

Kaiba sat at the stand watching the show being packed up and put away. His own things were already loaded into crates for shipment back to Kaiba Corp. So he had a lot of time to kill. But mostly, he had a lot of thinking to do. He was still shaken from last night:

_He'd dozed off in his chair while working. He'd been walking in a darkened room, trying to figure out where he was when he heard it, the unmistakable sound of horrified, agonized screaming. He bolted awake and realized that the screams were coming from Sonja's room. He ran to the door and threw it open just as the screams abruptly stopped. _

_"Sonja," he muttered. There were two worried-looking people standing outside her door. He ignored them as he pounded hard on the door. _

_But when Sonja finally answered, he was sure that it wasn't her, but more like a phantom or something. Her face had gone chalk white and her eyes seemed dead and lifeless when she'd looked around at them. He understood that nurse's reasons for wanting to examine Sonja. She looked positively ill. _

And he'd been secretly worrying about it ever since. And now she refused to leave her room.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Zigfried approaching until he was right in front of him. Kaiba glowered up at him.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Vat exactly are you doing here?" Zigfried asked.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm supposed to be here."

"Zat isn't vat I meant." Zigfried said. "I meant, to coin a phrase, penny for your thoughts?"

"No thanks." Kaiba snapped. Zigfried frowned. He started to walk away.

"Sonja told me vat happened." he said. Kaiba paused, confused.

"What?"

"She hasn't told you about it?" Zigfried probed.

"About what?"

Zigfried sighed.

"_Herr _Kaiba, I think it's time we had a little talk. Please follow me."

He turned and headed outside. Kaiba scowled and against his better judgment and his pride, followed him.

Zigfried led him to the very center of the science center, all the time refusing to answer his question of where they were going.

"All right, Zigfried, enough of your games. What did you want to talk about?" Kaiba growled. Zigfried had led him to the fountain in the center of the park. They stood a good distance away from it, but it wasn't actually a fountain. It was a spout of water bursting out from underground pipes and going a good twenty feet in the air. Little kids could be seen playing around in the spray while their parents watched from benches. Zigfried glanced at the kids and smiled.

"Ah, ze bliss of carefree youth." he commented.

"Cut it out." Kaiba grumbled. "Why did you lead me all the way out here just to talk to me?"

Zigfried looked over at him.

"Vere you aware zat Sonja is ze victim of vat she has dubbed 'night-terrors', Kaiba?"

"Night-terrors? Nightmares?"

Zigfried gave him a funny look. "Zat is quite hilarious for zat was my same reaction ven she told me." he chuckled.

"Never mind, just go on." Kaiba said irritably. Zigfried nodded and continued to watch the kids playing around in the fountain.

"She told me zat in zese dreams, she sees ze mutilated bodies of her family members, killed by someone she calls Allan."

Kaiba's eyes widened in alarm. Zigfried noticed.

"I take it you know of ze person she speaks of." he said.

"That's putting it mildly." Kaiba snapped.

"But she also told me zat two people have since joined her family in ze dreams. One person in particular causes her great distress to see."

"Who are they?" Kaiba asked. Again, Zigfried was being very serious and it was extremely unnerving for him.

"Ze first person is your younger brother, _Herr _Mokuba, killed while defending her sister, Sophie."

Kaiba gasped sharply, horrified.

"Mokuba was there?" he exclaimed.

"_Und_ according to Sonja, zere is one more person who has appeared _und _died at ze hands of zis Allan person."

"Who?" Kaiba inquired.

"Who else? You, _Herr _Kaiba." Zigfried said with a shrug.

"Me?"

Zigfried nodded.

"Yes, you. But I have a theory. In fact, it is more zan a theory, for I believe it to be pure fact. Sonja has begun to see you in zese dreams because she cares greatly for you, _Herr _Kaiba. In fact, she told me zat last night's dream consisted of such an appearance. Zis is why she refused to come, today. She vas afraid zat ze dream would return _und _she vould see vat she saw during her sleep."

Kaiba stared hard at the ground, silent.

"I shall ask you again, _Herr _Kaiba. Vat is Sonja to you?" Zigfried said after a few minutes.

Instead of answering, Kaiba turned and headed back in the direction of the hall. Zigfried watched him go, crossed his arms and turned to continue watching the kids splash around in the spray of water.

"I vish you luck, my friend." he muttered.

//ooo//

Kaiba paused briefly at the hall, staring into the entrance where everything was almost cleaned up. He pulled his cell phone out and looked at the time. It was a little past two in the afternoon. More time had passed than he'd thought.

As he headed back to the hotel, he thought back through the years. His first, somewhat unpleasant meeting with Sonja and their first duel, the Battle City experience and finding out what that brown book really was. Even after the battle with Allan, he'd never given any thought as to what Sonja was to him. And now, in the least expected way, he was finally beginning to understand why he'd impulsively protected her at the airport the other day.

The only thing left to do was to talk to Sonja.

//ooo//

Sonja finished brushing her hair and then looked down at the passes in her hand. If Zigfried was right, that the Space Needle was a good place to visit when you've had a rough day, or night in her case, then why waste time?

She made herself as presentable as possible and left the room, heading downstairs and out of the hotel. The science center wasn't too far away, but she needed to ask someone how to actually get to the Space Needle itself. Instead of following her regular path she'd taken the past two days, she crossed the street into a little produce market to ask directions. Then, after getting the information she needed, she headed off down the street back to the science center.

//ooo//

Kaiba finally made it back to the hotel and passed the manager's desk. As he was heading up the stairs, the manager came out and called him back.

"That colleague you brought," he said, "I'm afraid you won't find her here."

"What?" Kaiba said.

"I saw her leave the hotel about twenty minutes ago." He said nervously. Kaiba approached the desk.

"Did she say where she was going?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not. She just walked past the desk and out into the street. I saw her cross and talk to someone in that stand over there, but both her and the person she talked to have already gone."

Kaiba sighed in irritation and went back outside. Sonja was gone and he was stuck. He decided his only choice was to head back to the science center.

//ooo//

Sonja had already forgotten the instructions to the Space Needle, they were so confusing. She ended up wandering around the front entrance of the center until she was able to ask an employee how to get there.

It turned out it was even closer than she thought. And once she got up close to it, it was just as breathtaking. She really had to crane her neck just to see the top of it. The elevators were going on and down the sides, and she could see that they were clear see-through elevators. She secretly loved that kind. It was fun looking through them.

She got in line and waited as people either paid their way through or did like she was with a pass. Zigfried had told her that the passes weren't signed so she'd be able to get through with no problems. But she was still nervous as the taker took the pass, scanned it and handed the torn half of it back to her.

"Enjoy the 'needle'." he said with a tip of his hat.

"Thank you." Sonja said nervously. As she was walking toward the elevator, she froze when she heard him call after her.

"Yes?" she asked, turning back. He smiled.

"Don't look so nervous, the Space Needle is probably the safest thing in the whole center." he called. Several people in the line chimed their agreements. They were probably locals. Sonja smiled and nodded.

She got into the elevator along with a family and a teenage couple and watched as the doors closed behind her. She felt the elevator begin to rise and watched out the sides as the ground grew farther and farther away. As it rose, she felt quite a bit calmer and breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the top.

The observation deck was truly remarkable. Aside from a Seattle's Best Coffee stand, there were guides giving people a vocal tour on the history of the Space Needle. She wandered over to listen.

"The Space Needle was originally owned by the city, but was sold to investors for a total of $75,000 a year before the World's Fair was opened. It stands 605 feet tall and one of its crazy facts is that the C.H.E.E.S.E, or The Committee Hoping for Extra-Terrestrial Encounters to Save the Earth claims to have plans from the 1962 World's Fair that show the structure was built to send transmissions to advanced beings in other solar systems."

At this, several people in the crowd started laughing.

"Hey," the female guide said. "Some people really believe in this. But lets' move on. It is built to withstand winds up to 200 mph and earthquakes up to the 9.1 magnitude on the Richter scale. Its creator, Edward E. Carlson, was inspired for its creation by the Stuttgart Tower in Germany. It was privately built and financed by the Pentagram Corporation. It was later sold to Howard Wright who now controls it under the name of Space Needle Corporation. In the past, three people have committed suicide by jumping off the top before the safety grid you see outside the windows was installed. Since, several people have made it through the bars, but luckily, police negotiators coaxed them back. Even so, parachuting, while illegal has been done from the top. Two were arrested once they landed, but the other four used it as a publicity stunt."

She led the group away toward a framed board showing a picture of Edward Carlson and his biography. Sonja watched them go and then turned to go outside.

As she stepped out on the platform, she could just barely feel it at the structure swayed ever so gently. It was cold, so there weren't many people up there at the moment. She wandered over to the handrail and leaned over to look down at the ground. Then she raised her eyes out. Before her lay all the splendor of the state. From her position, she could see the majestic Mt. Rainier and the Cascade mountain range sprawling beneath it. Evergreen trees spread out as far as the eye could see, lined by the bay that provided life and trade for the entire coastline.

"It's so pretty." she whispered. Her nerves felt very soothed, now. Zigfried had been right. But this was only daytime and it wasn't too much longer before night fell and she could watch the stars from here.

She turned and went back inside to rejoin the tour group and bide her time until night fell.

//ooo//

Down at the hall, Zigfried and Leon both turned when they saw Kaiba approaching. He looked serious.

"Zigfried," he said. "Did Sonja come back here?"

Zigfried and Leon both exchanged glances.

"I haven't seen her." Leon admitted. "Is she missing?"

"The hotel manager saw her leave somewhere, but that was hours ago." Kaiba said.

"Hours?" Zigfried repeated, eyebrows raised. "How long have you been looking?"

"About three and a half." Kaiba answered. "I've been all over the science center. There's no trace of her."

Zigfried hummed. Then a smug look came on his face.

"_Herr _Kaiba, often, ze butterfly will seek out a spot to vatch as ze sun bids farewell to ze earth for ze night."

Kaiba blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Simple." Zigfried said. "You vill find her in ze most suitable place to be when ze stars come out."

He then turned and headed off outside in the opposite direction.

"Hey, wait up, Ziggy!" Leon called, running after him. Kaiba watched them go, trying to puzzle out what Zigfried had said. He clearly knew where Sonja was. But unfortunately, his obsession with poetic riddles left his opponent at quite a disadvantage. And by now, though he'd never admit it, Kaiba was worried.

He went outside and leaned against the side of the building.

"'The most suitable place to be when the stars come out'." he repeated to himself. He looked up at the sky. Where was the most suitable place to be when the stars came out? Obviously, somewhere close by. And somewhere with a good enough view past the buildings and skyscrapers. Somewhere where the light pollution stayed where it wouldn't interfere.

He walked out a few feet and looked around. His gaze fell on the majestic Space Needle looming above him, the lights beginning to flicker to life in the dying light and the rooftop plane beacon pulsing in the darkening sky. The elevators were still running, but from this short distance, he could see that hardly anyone was going up this late.

"That's it!" he exclaimed. "Where better to get above the light from the city?"

With that, he started toward it. A renewed urgency to talk to her kept him believing that she was up there. His talk with Zigfried was coming back. He was finally understanding it. His reasons for protecting her, not just because her little sister was friends with Mokuba, were becoming clearer. It was really something that made no sense to him, but...felt right. For once, he was going to go through with something he had no idea about.

This was why he had to talk to her.

There was almost no one in line for the elevator. He knew it stayed open for several more hours and the graveyard shift was getting deader and deader by the moment.

The ticket taker looked asleep on his feet, but woke up when Kaiba approached.

"You're out late." he pointed out. "Going up?"

"How much?" he asked.

"Well, it's twenty-five to go up."

"Fine." Kaiba said. He laid a fifty on the counter and pushed past. The man blinked and then called after him, holding it up.

"Wait, what about your change?"

"Keep it." Kaiba replied. The man stared after him as he boarded the elevator and the doors closed, taking him up.

"Is the graveyard shift always like this?" he mumbled to himself. "I wonder if there's a full moon out tonight?"

Kaiba was completely alone in the elevator. Another thing he'd never admit, for once, he was...nervous. If Sonja wasn't up there then he had no idea where she could be. But something told him that she was. Still, what Zigfried had said earlier that day had really gotten him thinking and he was still coming to terms with the fact that something was changing.

The elevator passed the supports for the top and finally came to a stop. The doors opened. He stepped out, glancing around. The place was totally empty. He figured the employees were on break or working downstairs as a result of the lack of visitors. It was just as well. Less people around made things a bit easier.

It didn't take long. He spotted Sonja outside, leaning on the guard rail and staring up at the sky. It was windy this high up and her blowing white hair made her look like a ghostly apparition haunting the upper deck. He hesitated slightly and then made his way forward. Outside, it was noticeably colder six hundred and five feet higher than on the ground. He did his best to ignore it and cautiously approached.

"Sonja." he said. She jumped with a sharp intake of breath and whirled.

"Are you nuts? You scared the daylights out of me." she snapped. She turned back toward the horizon. Kaiba moved to stand next to her.

"What are you doing up here? I've been looking for you for hours." he said.

"You have? What for?" she muttered.

He didn't answer. Sonja sighed irritably.

"Look, Zigfried gave me a pass to come up here. Said it would help."

She instantly froze, a horrified look on her face.

"Relax," Kaiba grumbled. "Zigfried told me everything."

Sonja scowled. "Well, see if I ever tell him anything again."

Kaiba glanced at her. She'd gone somewhat sullen.

"Did he...did he tell you what I saw?" she whispered. Kaiba frowned and sighed.

"Yeah." he said. "He told me that you saw me being killed by Allan in your dream."

Sonja stared down at her hands.

"Is that why you were screaming last night? That dream?" he inquired carefully. He expected her to get defensive and snap at him like usual. Instead, she sounded almost beaten when she replied.

"Yes. It was the third time I've seen you and Mokuba in one of those things. They always get worse each time."

"Don't you do anything about it?"

Sonja shook her head.

"There's really nothing to do. Sophie wants me to see a therapist. But not only can I not afford one, I also don't want to see one. These things make it hard for me. I haven't had so many in a long time. It was bad enough with my family in there, but now with you...."

She shook her head and sighed shakily, looking up.

"Never mind. Just forget I said anything." she said. They both fell silent. As a sudden blast of icy November air tore across the top of the structure, Sonja pulled her arms close and shuddered.

"Jeez. Maybe I should have worn a jacket." she muttered. " I came up here to stargaze but I'm too cold to concentrate on what I'm looking at. I'm going in."

She turned and as she did, Kaiba noticed that the floor was a little too shiny in the dim light.

"Sonja wait, it's-"

"Waagh!" Sonja wailed as she slipped and toppled over.

"-Icy." he finished.

When she didn't move, he thought she might have knocked herself out. But when she moaned and tried to sit up, he knew she'd just stunned herself.

"Ow." she murmured. "That's gonna leave a mark. Ugh, and now I'm even colder than before."

She glared up at him as he came closer.

"If you say one word, I'll slug you." she growled.

Kaiba reached out and offered to help her up. He was just as surprised as Sonja was. But she took his hand and he pulled her up.

"You _should _have brought a coat. You're freezing." he said. He hadn't let go of her hand.

"Like I really needed you to tell me that." she grumbled. But she didn't look directly at him.

He was still holding her hand tightly.

Several moments passed, neither one really looking at the other. Down below, the lights of the surrounding city illuminated the horizon with an almost celestial glow. The highway nearby leading to the airport could barely be heard this high up.

"You know something?" she said.

"Hm?" he mumbled.

"I'm glad I came out here. Seattle is a very nice city. I think I'll miss it when we have to leave."

Kaiba hesitated. Then he cleared his throat.

"This won't be the last show out here." he said. Sonja nodded.

"I sort of figured."

She noted that his hand was strangely warm.

"We'd better be heading back." he said finally.

"Um...." Sonja began. He glanced at her curiously.

"What?"

Sonja looked away.

"I just...um...do you think...we could...stay up here, a little while longer?"

Kaiba's eyes widened slightly. But he nodded. Sonja smiled slightly and gazed out at the horizon.

For the moment, just that little while, there wasn't anything to worry about. No duels, no competition, no irritating pink-haired oddballs, no nothing. It was just right then at the top of the symbol of Seattle itself, and the stunning view of all the splendor of Washington.

A/N: Eeee, I had goosebumps writing that! It's sooooo cute!! I've been up on the Space Needle. Absolutely breathtaking. Crazy expensive to get in, though. The price I mentioned here was what it was eight years ago. I have no idea what our raging economy has done to it these days, since I only get to visit out there maybe twice a year. And those facts about the Space Needle are all true, believe it or not. Especially that one about C.H.E.E.S.E. Hehe. Some people. Anyway, R and R if you'd like. Hope you enjoyed it.


	8. No Turning Back

A/N: After a revelation like the one in the last chapter, there always follows, without fail, denial. Sonja and Kaiba are now trying to figure out what really happened and now avoid each other. So what will happen? Read on to find out!

No Turning Back

Sonja sat wrapped up in her blanket on the bed, huddled and staring out the window.

She was trying to figure out the night before.

Had he really come looking for her? Had he really come looking for her? Had that all really happened? She sighed and pushed back the blanket from over her head. She glanced at the clock behind her. Sleep last night had come late, but when it had, it had been surprisingly peaceful. No dreams, no night terrors. Nothing. Allan's hideous face hadn't appeared and she'd gotten a full night's rest for once.

She remembered the third or fourth time she'd had one of those night terrors. She closed her eyes.

_Sophie opened the attic door revealing the stairs leading up to the roof. She cautiously proceeded forward, knowing all too well what could happen if she startled Sonja. _

_She found the door open, the icy winter air biting her skin through her thin pajamas. _

_She arrived on the roof and looked around. She drew a nervous breath and climbed up. _

_Sonja stood several feet away, wrapped in an afghan over her pajamas, standing up to her ankles in snow. Her hair was tangled and hanging free and Sophie saw her breath coming out in fast puffs in the cold air. As Sophie got closer, she shivered when she saw the wild glaze in her sister's eyes. She was staring out toward the sea, brandishing a cleaver in the air, hands shaking wildly. As she watched, the afghan slipped from her shoulders and fell into the snow. _

_"Sonja?" Sophie muttered. She slowly approached, wary. Sonja had actually attacked her once before after one of her night terrors and she'd learned to be careful. _

_"Come on, Sonja," she said. Sonja whirled, breathing heavily and glaring at her. _

_"S...Sophie?" she whispered, shaking. Sophie nodded and smiled warmly. _

_"Yeah, it's me. Come on, Sonni, lets' get you back downstairs. Have you noticed it's really cold up here?" _

_Sophie carefully reached forward, clasped her hand over Sonja's and slowly removed the cleaver, tossing it aside for now. She reached down and picked up the afghan, draping it over Sonja's shoulders. She led her back over toward the stairs. _

_"What do you say to a big steaming mug of hot chocolate with a big fluffy marshmallow in it?" _

_Sonja continued to stare at the ground. But she slowly nodded. _

_"Sure." she whispered. _

Sonja snuggled deeper into the blanket. That had been the third time and Sophie had been the one to help her every time. But now Kaiba knew about them. It only complicated things.

Fortunately, today was a review day, so to speak. She wasn't sure what there was to review. But she figured she should get packed up to leave that evening.

She flipped the blanket back and went to her bag. Today was her last day in Seattle. She figured she'd explore downtown by herself and see if she could find a souvenir for Sophie.  
She put on a pair of jeans and a grass green T-shirt with semi-circle of pink sequins lining the neck. She put her hair back in a ponytail and nodded to herself in the mirror.

But as she was leaving her room, she paused outside. She glanced at the door neighboring hers. If it had only been another dream or something, which she was pretty sure it hadn't been, what would that mean? Besides, the only times her dreams were that vivid were during her night terrors. It must have happened.

So how did he feel about all this?

She had no intention of asking him, but she did need to let him know where she was going. She knocked tensely.

The door opened a ways. He stared out at her blankly.

"Good morning." he said quietly.

"Ditto." she said. She looked away. "Um, I was thinking I'd go explore downtown today before we have to leave tonight. Is that all right?"

He blinked.

"How old are you?" he asked. She frowned.

"Twenty-three." she said.

"Exactly. Now, do you really need my permission?"

Sonja just stared. Then she scowled.

"Jeez, I was just letting you know. You're such a creep." she snapped. She stormed off down the hallway.

"I don't know why I put up with you!" she yelled. Kaiba stared after her in amazement. What did he do this time?

He retreated back inside and shut the door. Truth was, he hadn't been looking forward to when he'd had to see Sonja. He was still shaken up by what had happened.

He'd felt something...different last night. He didn't know what to call it, but he felt that he wanted to see her at the same time he didn't want to see her. He went and sat down in the chair by the window. He gazed up at the Space Needle.

The place where everything had changed.

He knew something had been changed immensely when he'd found Sonja up there. What Zigfried had said and whatever was patrolling his thoughts now were really starting to get to him. Was it really possible?

Was he actually beginning to view Sonja as more than just a friend? He didn't dare consider any further than that. He wasn't even sure how she felt.

He sighed. This was getting more confusing by the minute.

//ooo//

Sonja boarded the tram a few blocks down and took a seat in the back. She watched the streets fly by beneath her and the people bustling around, trying to get to wherever they needed to go and getting nowhere very quickly.

Why did he have to be so...so...crude? Was that the right word? In all uncertain terms, she knew she really shouldn't have gotten that angry. But knowing what she knew now about how she already felt, she was actually kind of afraid to be around him. Was this how it was supposed to be, when you cared about someone and you weren't sure if they felt the same?

"Was it this way for you, mom?" she muttered to herself. "But I doubt it was. I mean, I'm here, aren't I?"

She smirked at her own little zing.

She got off at the stop where she'd be able to get to the Seattle Bazaar and farmer's market. She wanted a little souvenir to take home to Sophie.

//ooo//

Kaiba checked his email and was surprised to see a reply from Damon. In fact, it wasn't just a reply, it was an invitation to a chat room on the site where he was currently logged in. Kaiba decided to seize the moment and answer.

_DamonGavens:_**You're either extremely desperate to get at my various accounts, or you're plum crazy, kid. Well, you could be just bored. In any case, I don't care what you say, my children are dead along with my wife. **

_SetoKaiba:_** None of those are correct, Mr. Gavens. I'm being serious. **

_DamonGavens: _**Hah! Like I'll believe that. **

Kaiba was a little surprised. Damon apparently didn't know online shorthand you sometimes encounter in chat rooms. He wouldn't need to spend precious time figuring out how to either write or translate it.

_DamonGavens: _**Give me one good reason why I should believe you when you tell me my children are alive. **

_SetoKaiba: _**What if I could give you proof? **

Several minutes passed. Kaiba folded his arms and leaned on the table, watching and waiting for Damon to reply. Just when he was sure Damon had gone idle, a message popped up.

_DamonGavens: _**I tell you what kid, if you can bring me solid proof that my daughters are still alive, I'll believe every word you say. But it has to be SOLID PROOF. **

He then logged out. Kaiba sat back and sighed.

"Solid proof, huh?" he mumbled. "What kind of proof would be good enough?"

He closed his eyes and thought. He went through every memory with Sonja, trying to think of something he could either say or find that would convince the ever-skeptical Damon of the truth.

He shot up, eyes wide. That brown scrapbook of Sonja's with the family portrait in it. He could also send Damon the names of every family member. Perhaps that would be enough to convince him that Sonja and Sophie were still alive.

"It has to work." he said. He turned and gazed out the window, suddenly feeling oddly depressed.

//ooo//

Sonja stood on the platform, staring up at the sky. Washington's weather really was unpredictable. It was a cloudburst.

She sighed.

"I guess I'll have to wait until it stops." she muttered. She went and sat down on a bench on the platform, staring out at the gray, muggy sheet as it pelted the ground in a fury. It was coming down real hard. It sounded like hail. But it was November. She supposed it probably could be hail.

"Dang it." she mumbled. "I wonder if I'll even get to look around."

"You will."

Sonja jumped as an elderly man with a little boy in tow sat down beside her. He looked a bit like Santa Claus. Except for the thick reading glasses and brown overcoat, he could have easily passed for him. The little boy, she figured, was his grandson. He had blackish hair and blue eyes and looked about seven or eight.

"It'll stop soon." the old man said. "Seattle's all about deceivin' you. You see one thing and expect it, only to find that it's gone in a wink."

He chuckled and lifted the little boy onto his lap.

"Begging your pardon, miss, my name's Lloyd Wilson and this here's my grandson, Noel. Say hi, Noel." he said.

"Hi." Noel said quietly, pulling the side of his grandpa's coat up to hide his face. Sonja smiled.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sonja Gavens." she said. Lloyd peered over the rim of his glasses at her.

"Ah, I thought you looked familiar." he said. "You were with that fellow, what's his name, now? Umm...he's some big technical guy. Kaiba! That's it."

Sonja looked at the ground. She should've known. Nobody knew her for her.

"Yes, my niece was attending the show recently. Well, actually, she's my great-niece. Her name is Sandra. You know her?"

Sonja shook her head. Lloyd chuckled.

"She's a little fireball, she is. To put it bluntly, she ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but is she ever a live-wire! Watch out!"

"Sounds a little like my sister." Sonja said. "Where does your niece live?"

"Some vague city on the east coast. I believe it's the same place you're going back to, miss." he said. "Domino, right? Yeah, I thought so. She's a little younger than you. Staying with relatives up there, I believe. Wanted to attend school in that city. The way she said it, her idol lives there and she wants to be close by."

Sonja thought that sounded a little childish.

"Who's her idol?" she asked. Lloyd sighed.

"Believe it or not, the same fellow you're traveling with. Said she admires his work. My niece, her mother, claims it's an unhealthy obsession. But Sandy's got a stubborn head on her shoulders and won't listen to anyone."

He glanced up as the tram arrived going in the other direction. He got up and placed Noel on his shoulders.

"It was nice chatting with you, Sonja. When you head back to Domino, keep an eye out for Sandy."

"Will do, sir." Sonja said. She watched as they boarded the tram and as the door shut, she waved goodbye. The tram started up and flew out of sight on the cables.

Sonja turned back to the storm raging several feet away.

She felt the vibration as her phone went off and dug through her bag to answer it. She caught it on the eighth ring and knew it could only either be Sophie or Kaiba. No one else she knew was willing to wait that long.

"Hello?"

"_I saw the weather outside. Are you all right?" _

Sonja frowned. It had been raining for twenty minutes. What the heck had he been doing that whole time? Knowing him, it could be anything ranging from pensively dozing to discovering the cure for mental-blocks.

"I was wondering something," she said. "How come you never actually say 'hello' when you answer or greet someone on the phone?"

_"Will you just answer my question?" _

She was somewhat pleased to know she could get him exasperated pretty easily. It made life around him much more entertaining.

"I'm fine. I'm in one of the tram stations, but I can't go exploring because of the rain. A local just told me it'll stop soon."

_"Better head back." _

"Why?"

_"Who are you going to believe? A local, or a weather report saying it's the season's heaviest rainfall for two months?" _

Sonja sighed.

"Oh, all right. I'm coming back. But could you do me a favor?"

"_Depends. What is it?" _

"Oh, you're all heart. Break it to Sophie when I tell her I had an extra day, but couldn't find her a decent souvenir because of typical Washington State weather."

On the other end, Kaiba rolled his eyes.

Sonja hung up and waited for a tram going back in the direction of the hotel. For once, the weather seemed to be right. The rain appeared to be coming down even harder now than ever.

"Just my rotten luck." she mumbled.

//ooo//

Sonja's luck got even worse. It was rush hour by the time she got back in the vicinity of the hotel and there were no buses or taxis available. Worse, it was a good five minute's walk, which wouldn't have been that bad if it weren't for the buckets of water coursing down. She could barely even see where she was going, now. She was only thankful that she'd worn a green shirt instead of white. Her hair stuck to her head like glue and she dreaded the frizzles it was going to get once it dried.

As she reached the hotel, she saw a vendor with a stand about to close up for the day because of the weather. The poor man was shielding his head with a sopping newspaper as he covered his stand with a waterproof tarp, now a bit of a moot point. She saw that it was a small souvenir stand. Not wanting to disappoint her sister, she hurried forward and stopped the man as he was about to finish tying the tarp down.

"Please, can you sell me one little souvenir?" she asked breathlessly.

"Miss, if this rain gets any harder, you and I'll be swimming home." the man replied over the roar of the rain. But he lifted the tarp. After all, money was money to him. Sonja quickly perused the selection, chose a silver chain with a Space Needle pendant and handed it to him.

"Awfully desperate for a little cheap souvenir." the man called.

"I don't want to disappoint my little sister." Sonja answered.

"Mighty nice." the man said as she turned after paying. "Wish my sis was as nice as you! Have a good day!"

_Oh sure, _Sonja thought sarcastically as she made the final sprint toward the hotel doors. She paused inside to give herself time to dry off. As this thought crossed her mind, a suddenly gust of wind blew the sheet of rain in her direction and she bolted inside before she could get any wetter, if that were at all possible.

The hotel manager glanced over at her in bewilderment.

"Miss, you look like a survivor of the _Titanic._" he said.

"No kidding. I'm sorry I'm getting your carpet all wet." Sonja said as she brushed her sopping wet hair out of her eyes.

"Don't worry about it, they can take it. Just because this is a fancy hotel doesn't mean our carpets are flimsy."

Sonja thanked him and started upstairs to go take a warm bath and dry off.

//ooo//

Kaiba was still packing things up when he heard Sonja's door open and close. He turned and went outside, knocking twice.

"Sonja?"

"_I **really **don't want visitors right now, Seto. Dang it, I'm soaked through!" _

He smirked.

"I take it you just made it back."

_"Tell me, do you like having a face, or shall I rip it off for you?" _

"That won't be necessary. Just be ready by seven. We have to leave then."

_"Fine, fine." _

Sonja growled as she wrung her shirt out over the sink and flipped it to remove anymore excess water. She draped it over the bed and went into the bathroom. As she was running the warm water, she allowed her mind to wander aimlessly.

They'd be leaving soon. Truth was, she hadn't really faced him since the night before. This morning didn't really count. While she was looking forward the seeing Sophie and her shop again, it wasn't lost on her that something had changed. That seemingly insignificant moment the night before had turned universal for them. Now everything was different. She already knew that she cared very much for him, but she had no way of knowing how he felt. If he did in fact feel the same, what then? She'd known him so long and yet she had no way of predicting him.

After her bath, she felt a lot warmer than she had out in the flooded streets. After a fresh change of clothes and a towel draped over her shoulders to dry her hair, she went to look out the window.

"Wouldn't you know it? _Now _it stops raining." she grumbled. She turned around and turned on the television to an old movie on the classic film channel to listen to as she packed her things away.

//ooo//

Kaiba, already packed and bored out of his mind, sat by the window and stared outside. This trip had certainly been interesting. But he was immensely unnerved about the night before. Something had definitely changed, but what? For some reason, his thoughts kept drifting back to Sonja and what Zigfried had told him. Of course, to think he was actually taking that weirdo's words seriously had to be proof enough that he was losing it. But when the rational, less proud side of him paused to think about it, Zigfried had a point.

Sometimes he found himself reliving the days when Sonja's everyday life was fraught with both pain and fear, literally. According to the surgeon who'd operated on her the night she was almost killed, her every waking hour for years had to have been miserable and yet she went so long without telling anyone of these problems. She'd hidden everything so well, that no one, not even Sophie, her own sister, could tell something was wrong.

Just thinking of that creep, Allan made his blood boil. He'd treated Sonja and Sophie like possessions, toys that when they broke, could be easily replaced. He'd even had the nerve to get angry when Sonja fought back against him. Even five years later, the look she'd had in her eyes when she forced Allan to stare down the barrel of his own gun chilled him. It was a look of pure hatred and malice directed toward the man who'd ruined her life.

He didn't really understand why, but whenever he thought about this, he felt a strong desire to know if Sonja was really happy in her new life. He'd never admit to anyone, but he sometimes felt as though he wanted to erase everything that had happened to her, to try to mend what had been broken years before. He remembered Sonja's face from Noah's virtual images. She'd been happy and vibrant, something he rarely saw these days. She always seemed closed up and locked away on herself.

He turned away from the window and glanced at the clock. It was almost six-thirty and their plane didn't leave until nine-forty-five.

He got up and went to the door. He wanted to check on Sonja and see she was ready to go.

He knocked a few times and waited. He heard a loud thud and Sonja yelling. A few seconds later, the door opened. She looked rather pained.

"What happened?"

"Ow. I tripped backward over my suitcase." she grunted. "What?"

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. Sonja sighed.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go." she said. "I'll meet you in the lobby."

With that, she turned and closed the door. Kaiba returned to his own room and approached the table where his case lay open. He zipped it shut and pulled it off the table. He stared forward for a few minutes.

Even if she actually felt something for him, she was too far gone to show it.

//ooo//

Sonja sat on the bed with her bag beside her. Facing him now was getting more difficult. She couldn't understand how much could have changed in such a remarkably short time span. But when she stopped to consider it, maybe it had been this way for a while. Maybe she'd always cared about him, since the day he saved her from Allan. After all, one of the reasons she trusted him was because she always felt safe with him. Since she'd run away with Sophie to avoid Allan's filthy grasp, he was the only one who gave her a true sense of safety.

It was getting frustrating.

She looked at the clock. She couldn't put it off any longer. She got up, case in hand and after double-checking to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she left the room.

As they'd agreed, he was down in the lobby. He'd already signed them out and turned as she approached.

"All set." she said. He just nodded and turned away without saying a word. Sonja followed him out and paused when he stopped on the sidewalk.

"We'll have to take a taxi to the airport." he said. "It's a few miles from here."

"Fine." she replied. She took one last look at the Space Needle and watched the elevators going up and down for several minutes while they waited for their taxi. When it finally arrived, Kaiba opened the trunk and placed the case inside it. He held his hand out reaching for Sonja's case. She handed it to him somewhat absently.

In that brief second, so quickly it might have been a trick of the eye, their hands brushed and both froze and then quickly turned away. Kaiba closed the trunk and Sonja hurriedly climbed inside the cab and gave the driver directions where to go. Then she leaned against the door, staring out the window and covering her face with her hair. She heard it as he got in and closed the door and watched the hotel slowly move out of sight behind them as they drove off. She resisted the urge to turn around for one last look at the Space Needle. She'd see it from the air.

Kaiba faced directly forward, doing his best to keep his indifferent and calm appearance. He hadn't known how difficult this facade was to keep until now.

He cast a brief glance at Sonja, making sure the driver was keeping his eyes on the road.

Sonja continued to stare out the window, oblivious. Just as he thought. She'd probably already forgotten.

The entire way to the airport, though, Sonja did her best to appear as though nothing had happened.

//ooo//

A car pulled up outside the shop and Ursula, Sophie and Mokuba got out. Mokuba ran around to the trunk and took out Sophie's Scooby Doo suitcase.

"Sophie, I can't believe you still use this thing. Why don't you get another one?" Mokuba commented.

"Because I happen to like this suitcase. That's why." Sophie retorted. They both turned when they heard the door at the top of the stairs open and slam shut. To their surprise, Daichi appeared at the bottom of the stairs, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Hey." he said. His typical greeting.

"Hey." Sophie replied. "What are you doing down here?"

"I heard you guys get here. You said you were arriving yesterday."

Sophie shrugged. "Our plane got delayed. Heavy snow in New York. I tried to call you guys and Sonja but my phone died and power was out where we were. But we're here now!"

Daichi blinked and nodded. He held his hand out for her suitcase. Sophie tilted her head.

"You're gonna actually help us with our cases?" she said. Daichi glanced at Mokuba.

"The twerp staying overnight?" he asked. Mokuba's face went red.

"_Twerp!? _You creep, I'll make you eat those words!" he yelled. Sophie leapt between him and Daichi, pushing her friend back as hard she could, opening the door of the car and shoving him inside it. She slammed the door while Ursula rolled her eyes and locked the car. Mokuba pounded on the windows yelling muffled nonsense while Sophie leaned against the car and sighed.

"Welcome to my life." she joked. "But seriously, Daichi, he's got one heck of a temper. People should really be scared of him, not his brother. You need to watch what you say around him."

Daichi shrugged.

"I'm twice his size, Sophie." he said, hoisting her case up and draping it over his shoulder. Sophie grinned and raised her hand to high-five him. Daichi just stared at her.

"What's that for?"

"Silly, it's the first time you said my name! Up high, dude!"

Daichi sighed irritably and gave her a reluctant high-five before turning to go back inside. Sophie turned and opened the door, letting Mokuba out. He'd been leaning on the door so he fell face first into the road with a grunt.

"Thanks." he growled at her.

"Anytime, buddy." she chimed. She giggled and hurried around to say goodbye to Ursula.

"Thanks for everything, Ursula! I had a blast!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny little snow-globe with the Statue of Liberty inside it.

"And I hope Sonja likes her souvenir!"

"Well, seeing as it was the only one that didn't look like a total tourist fish bait, I'm sure she will." Ursula said with a smile. She wrapped Sophie into a bear hug, practically lifting her off the ground.

"You're so much fun to be with, girl. You and Mokuba were a joy to have on this trip. Now be good, okay? I'll be back to pick up Thing 2 later on this evening when his brother returns."

Sophie saluted clumsily.

"Roger!" she exclaimed. She pulled away, grabbed Mokuba's right arm in her left hand and his case in her right hand and took off toward the house.

"So-o-ophie!" Mokuba yelled as she literally dragged him along. "Slow down!"

But Sophie had no intention of stopping until she'd dragged Mokuba up the stairs and into the apartment where Daichi stood by the table watching in mild amusement.

"_The Awesomeness_ has landed!" Sophie declared. Mokuba sat up, rubbing his head painfully.

"There's no such word as 'awesomeness', Sophie." he growled.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Cut it out!" shrieked a female voice from the back. Arika. Sophie giggled.

"I guess she's feeling better." she said. Daichi rolled his eyes.

"No, I made her stop eating the pain meds. She was starting to get loopy."

"Loopy how?" Sophie asked.

"Hallucinating that Sonny and Cher were in the room for starters. And once they fully kicked in, believing she was Sailor Moon and trying to jump out the window wearing her school uniform."

Sophie winced.

"Ouch. She didn't make it, did she?"

"No, she made it." Daichi replied uninterestedly. "She landed on some garbage bags in the dumpster out back. Found her there apparently talking to an imaginary gerbil named Bob."

Sophie snorted and then burst into a fit of hysterical giggles.

"That's hilarious! I guess we'll have to get her a lighter pain medication."

Daichi shrugged.

"Eh." was all he said. Sophie blinked and stared at him. He furrowed his brows and stared back.

"What?"

"How come you're talking so much now?" she asked. She sounded like a little kid asking her parents where babies came from.

Daichi blinked a few times and scratched his head.

"I...I don't know."

Sophie beamed.

"I know. I'm easy for a stuffy fuddy-duddy like you to talk to."

Beside her, Mokuba glared at the ceiling.

"Yeah, that's right guys, just forget I'm here, why don'tcha."

Sophie sighed and clapped him hard on the back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Silly boy, I'd never forget about you!" she said, ruffling his hair. Then she ran into the back laughing. Daichi stared after her, a confused look on his face. Mokuba gave him 'the eye' and sighed heavily.

"Don't be getting any ideas, guy." he said.

"What?"

"You know what. Sophie."

Daichi smirked.

"You like her?" he teased. Mokuba wasn't phased.

"Strictly as a friend and it's the same for her. We both did an oath of order. Whoever breaks the oath has to eat worms with jelly on 'em. Of course, we were kids when we said that, so I assume it doesn't apply anymore."

"So why shouldn't I get ideas?" Daichi asked, humoring him. Mokuba just shrugged.

"She's got an overprotective sister, that's why. But if you like to live dangerously, date her." he said with a leer.

Here, Daichi reacted. He scowled, stomped over to Mokuba, grabbed him by the collar and shoved him protesting out the door. He slammed it and locked it behind him while Mokuba yelled at from the outside.

Sophie poked her head out of the back room.

"What was that?" she asked. "Where's Mokuba?"

"He had to leave all of a sudden." Daichi mumbled. He went over and flopped down on the sofa, turning on the television.

"I'm gonna run out for some takeout. Sonja and Mr. Kaiba should be back in a couple of hours. I sure hope they didn't fight too much while they were gone." Sophie mumbled as she came back into the kitchen.

"Do you want anything?" she asked.

"No." Daichi replied. Sophie sighed and watched him.

"That's it, get your shoes, you're coming with me. I'll bet you didn't do a single thing while I was gone."

Daichi just stared at her like she was insane as she stalked over and leaned on the back of the sofa, glaring at him.

"I did so do stuff." he countered weakly.

"Uh, huh, yeah, sure. Like what?" Sophie snapped. Daichi glanced away, uncomfortable.

"Like...stuff."

Sophie nodded disbelievingly.

"Get. Your. Shoes." she said, accentuating every syllable. "_NOW!" _

Daichi scrambled up, suddenly inspired to leave the apartment for a little while. He threw his shoes on, all too aware of Sophie's piercing gaze.

Boy was she ever different from the scared little wimp Arika had picked on when they were kids. She meant business.

As they were getting ready to leave, Daichi somewhat grudgingly, Arika hobbled out of the back room on her crutches. She yawned and smiled stupidly. The dark circles and droopy grin suggested she'd had a stash of pain medication hidden away somewhere Daichi didn't know about.

"Hey, ya'll." she drawled. "Where ya'll headin' off to, now huh?"

She sounded positively drunk.

"Getting something to eat." Sophie replied in a voice dripping with fake cheeriness.

"Hey, hey, I'll join ya!" Arika slurred. She looked about ready to pass out and wobbled on her crutches. Sophie whined and hurried over, catching her before she smacked into the coffee table. She set her down on the sofa and handed her the remote.

"Listen you dork," she hissed, figuring the pain medication would keep her from understanding the insult. "You need to stay here and rest. No more pills, no more walking around. Got it?"

Arika gave her a clumsy salute, hitting her right eye instead of her forehead.

"Aye, aye, capitan!" she exclaimed. Sophie sighed exasperatedly and straightened up.

"Okay, lets' go." she growled.

As they headed away from the shop, Sophie scratched her head intensely.

"Is she always like that? How does sis put up with her?"

"You should have seen her the day you guys left." Daichi muttered. He still didn't look all that pleased about having come with Sophie.

"I can only imagine. Don't tell me, I've had enough for one day." Sophie grumbled. "I need some fast food and a milkshake."

Daichi smirked.

"Watch it, kid. You'll get fat."

He yelled suddenly when she smacked him in the back of the head with her purse.

"What the hell was that for?" he exclaimed angrily. She waved her finger in his face, scowling.

"Three things. One, don't call me 'kid'. Two, never mention my weight and three, watch your language!"

With a 'humph', she strode forward, leaving him behind to stare at her in shock.

//ooo//

Evening had fallen at the SeaTac airport. Their plane was delayed. Bad weather on the east coast was making it sketchy that the plane might even take off that night at all. Sonja, bored out of her mind, contented herself with watching the few stars she could see over Seattle's light pollution. She really missed the view from the Space Needle.

Kaiba had wandered off somewhere, though where, she had no idea. It was just as well. It was still uncomfortable being around him. It had really gotten weird since that night at the Space Needle when he'd come looking for her.

She sat and watched the planes landing and taking off. They were scheduled to board in just under twenty minutes. An announcement went out over the PA that their plane had just landed thirty minutes late. They'd be able to take off tonight after all.

She glanced up as Kaiba came back with a new novel in hand and sat down beside her.

"I spoke to an attendant. We'll be boarding soon after all."

"I know." she replied. "Now that this is all over, I'm just anxious to get home."

He looked away and hummed.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"Same here." he told her. They both fell silent for the moment. While this silence was uncomfortable, it wasn't actually as awkward as the other times. Something about this time was different. Neither could quite place it.

When their plane was due to board, Sonja just followed him up without a word. She was going back home, now. Everything would be the same again. She'd rarely see him until the schedules for both of them allowed a visit.

He'd booked first class again and this time, there weren't as many people either riding in this section or able to afford or upgrade to it. Sonja's seat was next to the isle and she watched people file in behind them. She heard him get the book he'd bought out.

In all reality, it should have been a typical flight. Both of them knew that it should have been. The thing is, fate often has a way of messing with people's lives, switching events to fit its own quirky ways and interests.

Kaiba knew Sonja was exhausted. This trip had been pretty emotionally draining. After only an hour in the air, she'd fallen asleep upright. He lowered his book and watched her for a moment. It was already pitch black outside and the interior lights had gone on in the isle. All other lights were out and the flight attendants were busying themselves with other things. She truly looked at peace when she was asleep. Or at least when her sleep was normal and not plagued by nightmares, or whatever she called them.

He returned to his book.

After a while, his eyes were beginning to ache from the lack of light, but he didn't want to turn the overhead light on and wake Sonja. He contented himself with staring out the window at the black clouds below.

He suddenly felt a light weight against him and turned. Sonja had fallen against him in her sleep.

Well, this was unexpected. Kaiba at first tried to sit as still as possible, not wanting to wake her up accidentally. But gradually, his arm was beginning to go to sleep, so he was faced with a bit of a dilemma. He shifted ever so slightly and circulation returned to his arm. He looked around and saw one of those scratchy blankets the flight attendants passed out. Carefully so as not to move her, he reached down and grasped the thing, pulling it up. He flipped it open and gently tossed it over her. Then he leaned back and stared out the window, trying to figure out everything he'd heard on this trip.

A/N: _**FLUFFY!!!!**_


	9. Bridges Burned, Bridges Built

A/N: Here it is, the BIGGIE!! Elwyn-chan and Cauryn-chan have both looked it over and (with a few grammatical corrections and editorial changes here and there) the story is about to change forever!! One big surprise after another!

Bridges Burned, Bridges Built

Sonja slowly awoke to feeling somewhat warm. She found one of the airline's blankets draped over her to be the cause.

"Where did this come from?" she asked quietly to herself. She froze up when she realized she'd been leaning on him while she slept. But upon glancing at him, she saw that he was fast asleep. Again, that peculiar feeling of safety hit her and she suddenly felt a little more at ease. If he hadn't wanted her to lean on him, he would've woken her up and told her to sit up. He must have been the one to put the blanket over her.

With this in mind and still sleepy, she decided a little more sleep wouldn't hurt.

She closed her eyes again and drifted off, more comforted by his presence.

//ooo//

When the plane landed, Kaiba was somewhat surprised to see that Sonja was still asleep. He reached over and gently woke her up.

"Sonja, we're here." he told her.

Sonja stirred, opened her eyes and yawned.

"Time already?" she murmured. She sat up and turned away to hide a slight reddening on her face as she pretended to busy herself with her carry-on.

"Sure went fast." she said. Kaiba stared out the window.

"Yeah." he agreed a little too quickly.

They departed the plane quickly enough and Sonja sighed. While she did miss Washington a little, it felt good to be back home. She could hardly wait to see Sophie.

As they approached the lower levels of the airport, both of them stopped in shock. Standing by the door before them were the last people they expected to see.

Sophie, Mokuba, Ursula, Daichi, Maya and Arika all waited by the door holding a sign saying "Welcome back Sonja and The Other Guy" in sloppy painting. Sonja started laughing and Kaiba glowered first at her and then at Mokuba.

"Any reason, Mokuba?" he asked, tension heavy in his voice. Mokuba snickered.

"Sorry, bro, the devil made me do it." he said, jerking his thumb at Sophie.

"Hey!" Sophie shrieked. "I resemble that remark!" But she squealed in surprise when Sonja snatched her up in a bear hug and swung her around in a circle before mussing her hair up.

"Hey, Sophie, how were you?" she exclaimed. Sophie struggled to get out of her grip before Sonja finally released her.

"Good, sis. You know, you shouldn't go around giving bear hugs. You're stronger than you look."

"How did you know we'd arrived?" Kaiba asked. Ursula shrugged.

"I looked up the time of your flight after it was delayed. Our plane was delayed, too, so it was easy." she said with a smile. "And it was Sophie's idea."

He looked over at Sonja listening to Sophie's chatter about New York. Ursula frowned curiously when she noticed an odd look in his eyes. But she had to wonder if she'd imagined it when he turned away to the luggage carousel to claim the case he'd checked.

Sonja jumped when Arika materialized behind her.

"Hey, Sonni!" she cried. "How was your trip?"

Sonja sighed.

"Pretty good. Could have been better." she said, thinking about the torrential downpour she'd gotten caught in earlier that day.

"Guess what!" Arika yelled. "Daichi went shopping earlier with Sophie. He's going to cook a special dinner for you guys tomorrow!"

Sonja visibly winced.

"O-Oh, really?" she said. "Well, that's pretty exciting." she stammered. "Right now, though, I just want to get some rest."

"And you shall." Ursula chimed. "We've got one of those ultra-mini vans the airport rents out waiting outside. There's enough room to fit everyone!"

True to Ursula's word, the four rows made it possible for everyone to squeeze in quite comfortably. Sonja helped Arika into the front seat and then took the middle seat with Sophie. Daichi sat in the front row by Kaiba so he could keep an eye on Arika (On Sophie's insistence) and Maya sat in the back with Mokuba while Ursula drove.

It was dark by this point and Sonja was barely awake as she tried to concentrate on a game of Go-Fish with Sophie. All the time, Kaiba just stared out the window, somewhat preoccupied. His mind kept wandering back to Sonja falling asleep against him on the plane. He'd surprised himself when he realized that he hadn't minded.

He wasn't aware that Sonja, though sleepy, was also thinking about that and wondering about it herself.

//ooo//

Mokuba had gone straight to sleep once Ursula had dropped them off. But Kaiba still had a lot on his mind. He excused himself from his brother on the claim he still had work to do and headed to his office. He locked the door and turned to peruse the shelves for a book. He knew all of the spines by heart and kept them in their same order meticulously. Now while he did pay a housekeeper to come by twice a week for basic things around this huge place, he insisted on taking care of this room by himself. He arranged the bookshelves, he polished the furniture, he watered the plants and he maintained the floor and windows. This room wasn't only his home office. It was where he spent his time when he wanted to be alone in his home. If he wanted to travel to be alone, there was that cliff side retreat he'd had built for secrecy with new inventions. But thanks to Pegasus's goons, it wasn't much of a secret anymore. He'd only been back one other time and the window was still broken. Fortunately, being so high up and so out of the way, it wasn't vulnerable to robbers.

He came to this room when he wanted to think deeply. And tonight was no exception, for he had something very important to come to terms with, something that could completely alter his life as he knew it.

He took down a book and sat down on the sofa. He held it, but didn't read it. Instead, he stared out into the night sky through the window. His mind went through his memories as though he were watching an old film, and he was the only one in the audience.

The first one was the day he first saw Sonja when she transferred into Domino High. She hadn't said a word to the class and refused to come into the room at first. She was always scowling at something and rarely spoke to anyone.

The second one was talking to her a few days after the duel when he offered to buy her shop and move it closer to headquarters. She'd seemed moody and quiet, the way she always was these days. Well, except when you got her mad, of course.

The third one was just before the finals of the Battle City Tournament. Finding her asleep on the floor in her room with the locator cards in her hand. Even now, he was still impressed by that.

The fourth memory was discovering what was really in the brown book she always carried around and finding out it was a scrapbook of her previous life. Thinking about it now always disturbed him.  
The final and fifth memory was her face as she forced Allan to stare down the barrel of his own gun. If he hadn't stepped in, she would have killed him without a doubt. He'd been able to see that she wanted it so badly, she'd have done anything to get it. But even as much as she'd wanted it, she'd given it up because....

He bolted up. She'd given up taking her tormentor's life because he'd asked her to. She'd listened to him when he told her that Allan deserved more than death and that she was being too merciful by killing him.

He sat back, stunned again. It hadn't occurred to him until now. She'd listened to him that night. By doing so, she'd saved her own life as well as his.

He stared at the floor. Even though five years had passed, and their arguing never ceased, they both knew they were still very close. In truth, she was the first person to ever get to him like she did. Not even Mokuba knew what she knew about him. He'd sworn he'd never get close to anyone but Mokuba because he'd always been so sure that everyone betrayed you at some point or another. But to this day, Sonja had always been there. He remembered when he'd nearly gone crazy because of the near impossible task of fixing what Dartz had done by buying out his company and causing stocks to drop to an all time low.

_This was it. The final straw. He was tired and hassled, yet he couldn't bring himself to leave it like this. He'd worked too hard for this now and it was still in danger of being lost. There was still so much work to do. _

_He sat at his desk and sighed. He was getting nowhere and desperately needed sleep. _

_He was about to try to log back in again and start over when the phone rang. He answered it on the fourth ring, since it was the private line. _

_"Seto Kaiba," he said blandly. _

_"Hey, it's me." Sonja said. "Listen, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately. You really need to take a break and get some sleep." _

_"I can't Sonja. If this company falls through, I'm done." he snapped. _

_"I understand that, but if __**you **__fall through, than your company's done. Do you get what I'm saying? Look, please try to go home and get some rest. I'm good with certain things so send me whatever you think I can handle and I'll see if I can help. And Mokuba can handle things for a few hours, at least." _

_Kaiba sighed irritably. _

_"Sonja, there's really noth-" _

_"Don't give me that. There's something. And if you don't send it to me, I'll come and get it myself. The shape you're in, I'd cream you. Send me some and have Mokuba take over for a little while. Business is slow here, anyway, so I'm bored. Don't make me come up there, I just twisted my ankle getting the mail this morning and I'm fit to be tied as it is." _

_Kaiba rolled his eyes. _

_"If I agree, will you shut up?" he mumbled. He heard Sonja snort on the other end. _

_"Perhaps. I'll be expecting an email." _

_And with that, she'd hung up. _

He remembered that and even though she'd probably forgotten it, it served as somewhat of an important memory because her stubborn persistence had actually helped immensely. She'd been true to her word in completing a small percentage of work he'd sent her like she'd demanded and a few hours' rest had really helped. Four months later and the company was showing signs of recovering.

She'd always been there, sitting quietly in the shadows behind him. She'd changed in the past five years. Allan's presence still hung over her like a veil, but she was improving.

She wasn't the only one to change, though. Everyday, he wondered about it. He'd had this nagging feeling for a while now, like he felt she was going to leave. He couldn't see why she would, but still. He couldn't help it. If she was going to leave, he didn't want her to.

He hadn't meant to, but he'd accidentally rebuilt the bridges he'd burned so long ago by promising himself he wouldn't trust anyone but himself and his brother. And now, he was finally beginning to understand all of this.

It had taken up to now to realize it. It was almost surreal, but somehow, he found he was having a fairly easy time accepting it, however much it surprised him. He found that over the years as he spent more time with her, he found he'd grown to love Sonja.

//ooo//

The day following their arrival back to Domino, Kaiba knew it was time to take his plan to the next stage. First, he needed to present Damon with solid proof of Sonja and Sophie's well-being. Second, he needed to look up some things online to make sure the second part of the plan was going to even work in the first place.

But the first part was why he called Mokuba up to the office.

"You wanted to see me, bro?" Mokuba said as he approached the desk. Kaiba was staring at the computer.

"Hey, Mokuba." he said. "Listen, the quicker the better, I'm going to need your help getting Damon Gavens to believe me when I tell him his kids are alive." he said quickly. Mokuba's eyes bugged and his jaw dropped in shock.

"You found Sonja and Sophie's dad?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, but he refuses to believe anything I say. That's why I need your help."

"What can I do?" Mokuba wondered.

"I'll tell you. Damon won't believe me when I tell him that I know them personally. He asked for solid proof. Well, I'm going to give him just what he wants. Sonja has a brown book she carries around. It's a scrapbook filled with pictures from before. In the very center is a family portrait. I need you to somehow get this picture from the book and bring it here without Sonja knowing. Think you can handle it?"

Mokuba grinned and nodded.

"Come on, bro, this is gonna be a piece of cake! I'll be back in a half-hour."

And with that, he rushed out. Kaiba shook his head.

//ooo//

Mokuba had long since memorized Sonja's schedules. He'd often helped Sophie carry deliveries to their addresses and knew that at 1:35, she'd be downstairs pressure-washing the basement. He crept up to the store door and listened. He timed on his watch and a few minutes later than the planned time, heard the hiss as the pressure washer was switched on. She'd be at it for about twenty minutes. Plenty of time to get in, get the picture and get out before she noticed him. He'd gotten a remote communication pin from Kaiba and attached it to his collar.

"Seto, can you hear me?" he whispered. "Testing, one, two, three, testing."

"_Cut it out, Mokuba, I can hear you just fine. What are you waiting for?" _

"Sonja's pressure washing the basement. I was waiting for her to start."

"_Why is she pressure washing the basement?" _

"I don't know, why does she do anything weird she does? I'm going in, now."

He climbed up the stairs and tried the door. It was locked.

"Great. Seto, the door's locked."

"_Check under the mailbox outside the door. It comes off the post and there should be a key under there." _

Mokuba lifted up the mailbox and sure enough, there was the spare key. He unlocked the door and ran inside.

"_Put the key back, idiot!" _

Mokuba skidded to a stop, doubled back and hurriedly stuck the key underneath the mailbox. He paused to listen for signs of Sonja stopping. The washer was still going.

"What now?" he asked.

"_For one reason or another, she keeps books in the drawer next to the refrigerator. It __might be in there." _

Mokuba hurried over and opened up the drawer. He rifled through it as quietly as he could.

"Paper clips, highlighters, Sharpies, crayons, sticky notes, _Gone with The Wind-Revised Edition_, wait, huh? Whatever, scissors, batteries, _Cooking for Dummies_, hair clips, rusted fork, compact, magnets. Nope. It's not here, Seto."

"_All right, you'll have to go back into their room. Make sure Arika isn't there." _

Mokuba crept back to the back room and slowly opened the door. It swung open with a slight creak and Mokuba winced.

On the bottom bunk, Arika was sound asleep. The bottle of pain medication was on the floor next to her.

"Seto, she's out cold. I'm guessing she found the store of pain pills."

"_Fine. If she notices you, she likely won't recognize you. Check everywhere." _

Mokuba got down on his stomach and felt around beneath the bed. Nothing. He got up and went over to the dresser. He opened every drawer, recoiling at a couple and still found nothing.

As he was getting ready to open a cardboard box at the foot of the bed, he froze.

"_What's wrong?" _

"I heard the door open! I think Sonja's coming in!" he whispered frantically.

"_Hide!" _

Mokuba jumped up, searching for a place to hide as the footsteps grew ever nearer and his heart pounded in his chest.

_"Under the bed! Go, now!" _

Mokuba got down and dove beneath the bed, sure that his beating heart would betray his location as he fought to still his breathing.

He watched Sonja's shoes walk inside the room and pause.

"Hmm. I was sure I heard someone walking around up here."

Mokuba cursed silently. He'd forgotten she could hear him walking around down there!

"Arika," she whispered. "Hey, Arika? You awake?"

Arika moaned in her sleep and turned over. Sonja stepped back and sighed.

"I must be losing it." she muttered. She left the room and Mokuba waited. He was about to come out when he heard her groan irritably.

"Dang it, I was sure I'd locked this stupid door."

He gasped and covered his mouth.

"I'd better speak to Sophie about it."

And with that, she was gone.

Mokuba let out the air he'd been holding and crawled out from beneath the bed.

"That was way too close, Seto." he muttered.

"_Tell me about it. Okay, keep looking." _

Mokuba opened up the box and pawed through it.

"Nothing, Seto." he said. He glanced at the sleeping Arika and a sudden, disturbing thought occurred to him.

"Oh, no." he whispered.

"_What?" _

"I think I know where it is."

Ignoring his brother's inquiries about its proposed location, Mokuba got up and knelt down beside the bed. Careful not to disturb Arika, he slid his arm beneath the mattress, feeling around for anything, all the while keeping his eye on her.

He smiled when he hit something and pulled it toward him.

It was the brown book.

"Seto, I've got it." he said excitedly.

"_Great. Nice work. Now, in the center is a family portrait of Sonja, Sophie, Samuel and their parents. Take that one." _

Mokuba filed through it until he found the picture. He also found a picture of Sonja as a little girl in her school uniform, smiling into the camera and showing off her new pink backpack. He took this one, too.

"Okay, I'm heading out now, and-"

He whirled when he heard the door open. He gasped sharply and jumped up. Sophie and Sonja were both in the house and blocking his way out!

"Seto, I'm trapped!" he exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"_If they find you, we're both dead." _Kaiba warned grimly. _"Sonja isn't aware I know what the book is. Get out of there!" _

Mokuba turned this way and that, searching frantically. He spied the window and ran over, heaving it up and open. Below was the dumpster with, thankfully, a few garbage bags lying at the bottom of it. He drew a deep breath.

"Hey, Seto, listen. I just want you to know that if I don't survive this...you're weird."

"_What?" _

"Geronimo!" Mokuba cried as he slipped out the window and plummeted two stories into the dumpster, landing hard on the bags and causing the lid to flip shut with a loud _bang! _

"What was that?" Mokuba heard Sonja say inside.

"It sounded like it came from out back." Sophie answered.

Mokuba froze, pinching his nose against the putrid smell of rotting garbage. He heard Sophie hum and then slam the window shut, allowing him to take a much needed breath of fresh air as he climbed out of the garbage.

"_Mokuba! Mokuba, are you all right?" _

Mokuba stood up, shakily clutching the rim of the dumpster.

"You owe me big time, Seto. _Big _time." he emphasized. "I'll meet you at home. I need a shower."

_"What did you do?" _

"Long story. Lets' just say this whole thing stinks."

//ooo//

Kaiba was finally able to scan the pictures into his computer at the office with Damon waiting on a private chat room. He attempted one more time to convince Damon as the he waited for the pictures to load.

_SetoKaiba: _**I have some proof, like you asked for. **

_DamonGavens: _**Yeah, I'll bet you do. What'd you do, pay off some girl to dye her ****hair white and impersonate Sonja for a web cam or something? **

_SetoKaiba: _**No. I'm downloading some pictures for you, straight from her scrapbook. She let me borrow them. **

Kaiba figured a little lie was best if he wanted to convince this stubborn person. He uploaded the pictures onto the private chat line and waited. When after five minutes Damon didn't respond, he typed a question:

_SetoKaiba: _**Damon? Are you there? Is that proof enough for you? How else could I have these pictures unless Sonja gave them to me? **

_DamonGavens: _**You creep. **

Kaiba blinked and frowned.

_SetoKaiba: _**What did I do? **

_DamonGavens: _**Made me cry, you idiot! Men aren't supposed to cry! It's a sign of weakness. Damn unspoken traditions! **

_SetoKaiba: _**Now do you believe me, Damon? If you want, I can name you all off. **

_DamonGavens: _**No. That won't be necessary. But I don't want to believe you. **

Kaiba sighed irritably and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He sat up again and typed in a short message.

_SetoKaiba: _**What **_**do **_**you want, Damon? **

Several minutes passed and Kaiba had learned to wait for a long time because Damon was often slow to reply. But Damon's answer shocked him and at the same time, gave him a true sense of satisfaction.

_DamonGavens: _**I want to see her. I want to see my little girl, to see her face again. I just want to know that all this time, I could'a been searching for her and she's been alive this whole time. I want to be able to kick myself in the pants for giving up on her and Sophie! That's all I want. If you can do that, I'll believe everything you say until the day I kick it. You got that, kid?" **

_SetoKaiba: _**I can do that, Damon. I'll be mulling over a question I'd like to ask you, though, so be prepared. I may have come to an answer by the time we meet. If you don't mind, there's one place in particular I'd like to bring her to where you can meet us. I'll fly us out there as soon as I can. **

_DamonGavens: _**If you're lying, you'll live to regret it, kid. **

_SetoKaiba: _**I'm not lying, Damon. **

And with that, they signed off. Kaiba sighed and went online.

//ooo//

That night, sleep evaded him. He decided a walk around the grounds might calm his nerves. But all it did was depress him.

The garden out back was in shambles. The groundskeeper had quit for reasons unknown and moved across the state and Kaiba hadn't had time to look for a new one. Because of his hectic schedule, he just had no time to do any of it himself. Besides, even if he could make time, he wouldn't know where to start. His genius went as far as technical aspects and machines. Gardening was pretty low on his skill list. As a kid, he'd tried to keep a rose alive that he'd found in the grass outside. It died two hours after he put it in the water.

He sighed and turned away as the sound of footsteps approached from behind. He could tell it was Mokuba.

"Seto, what are you doing out here so late? It's ten-thirty." he said.

"Nothing of great importance, Mokuba." Kaiba mumbled. "I was just thinking about something." he said as he turned to go back in. Mokuba chuckled and followed him.

"So what's so different about that? You're always thinking about something. If you weren't, I'd be asking what you've done with my big brother. Besides, don't you have your hands full with that secret project you were talking about the other day?"

Kaiba stopped and stared at his brother.

"How'd you know about that?"

"I heard you talking to someone on the phone about purchasing an island somewhere. You mentioned it was part of a top secret plan you're working on."

"It's still being planned. There's nothing more to tell."

"That's what you always say." Mokuba growled. "Anyway, I got those pictures back into the shop and Sonja thought maybe she was sleepwalking and took them down there. It's almost uncanny how easy she is to fool."

"Cut it out. Normally, she's sharp as a tack. But you have a point. Why is now any different?"

"She has been rather melancholy lately."

Kaiba stopped and stared at Mokuba.

"Wha-what?" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Mokuba, since when is a difficult word like that in your primitive vocabulary.?" he teased. He hurried off, leaving Mokuba to work out the insult.

"Hey! That wasn't at all funny, Seto! Jerk!" Mokuba screamed after him.

Kaiba was able to find a little solitude locked in the home office. Zigfried's words kept coming back to him. In the five years since he'd known Sonja, he was beginning to think maybe he'd felt this way for awhile. But there was no way to tell how she felt unless he asked her or she decided to tell him.

Well, he supposed there was only one way to find out.

//ooo//

Sonja sat down in her shop leaning back on the stool against the filing cabinet. It was late, but being the light sleeper she was, she was unable to fall asleep like she wanted. That, and Arika was bugging the living daylights out of her since she ran out of medicine and Sonja refused to get more.

She jumped when the phone rang all of a sudden and fell of the stool with a _thud. _She stumbled back up on her feet and snatched the phone on the third ring.

"Hello? Gavens' Flower Emporium, Sonja here." she muttered painfully.

"_I take it you fell off the stool again." _

Sonja chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I did. I was deep in thought." she said.

"_Jeez, Sonja, you make that trip at least twice a week. When are you going to learn?" _

Sonja scowled.

"Maybe when you're not such a creep, Seto."

He sighed irritably on the other end.

"_Listen, I called to ask you something." _

Sonja blinked.

"Yeah, what? I'm listening."

He didn't answer for a moment and Sonja frowned. This wasn't like him.

"_Listen, I'm heading over. I need to talk to you." _

"Sure. Is everything okay?" she asked concernedly.

"_Yeah...everything's fine. See you then." _

He hung up. Sonja placed the phone back on the hook and frowned. She hoped nothing was wrong. Things had been weird ever since they got back. But then, things had been weird for a long time, now. After all, the rest of the gang wasn't really around, anymore. Only Joey and Mai ever really visited and Yugi had been out of state for several months for some sort of dueling tournament with his grandpa. But with Kaiba, it was different. They'd been somewhat close ever since Allan had been taken away. But for some time, now, Sonja had noticed that how she felt about him had changed, subtly. But she was an expert at hiding her emotions, so as far as she knew, he was unaware of it. But it only made things much more difficult. Especially the fact that she felt that he could never like someone as weird as she was. For Pete's sake, she had a sister who watched horror movies to 'test her limit'. She cooked things straight out of hell's kitchen. She bit the dust as a duelist and her only skills were gardening and writing.

"I'm only fooling myself." she muttered, turning to her computer. She rested her hand on the keys and hummed.

"I'm wasting my time. He shouldn't have to bother with me. After all, it's not like I need anyone. I'm perfectly fine by myself. I've been alone for over half my life and I'm content staying that way."

There she went, erecting her stupid defensive barriers. It was a defense mechanism she'd built up by living in the streets, trusting no one but her sister. And now, years later even with a somewhat secure income and a roof over head, she couldn't get rid of it.

But somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind, she knew this wasn't true. She was lonely and she wanted help. She was mired deep in the pools of seclusion and with every passing day, she became more and more trapped. She was tempted to face it; she'd been alone for so long, she'd forgotten how not to be alone. She didn't know how to let anyone in anymore, at least not consciously.

Suddenly infuriated, she whirled and smacked a glass vase with a single tulip in it across the room. It struck the door with incredible force and shattered on impact. But as she watched the poor flower sink to the floor amidst the remains of the vase, she felt guilty. The flower hadn't done anything and she may very well have just killed it. She got up and scooped it up gently, going into the back and filling a new vase with water and powdered plant food. She dipped the stem into the water and set it on a shelf near the window where it would get lots of light the following morning.

She was about to go get a broom to clean the glass when she heard the door open slowly. She turned around.

Kaiba was staring at the pieces of glass scattered on the floor.

"What happened here?" he mumbled. He looked up at Sonja, staring at him tiredly.

"Nothing. I'll get a broom." she said. She wandered into the back. Kaiba stared at the glass and then looked around the shop. He noticed that the little vase she always kept on her desk was gone. Suddenly, he felt he knew what happened to it.

He carefully stepped around the glass and waited. But for some reason, Sonja never came out from the back room.

"Sonja?" he called cautiously. Something told him she might be in another one of her 'moods'.

He entered the back room and found Sonja standing over the cooler, rummaging through it absently. She acknowledged his presence with a single glance before returning to whatever she was doing.

"So," she said.

"Hm?"

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

Kaiba didn't answer right away. He just stared at the array of plants enjoying the sprayers in the cooler. It gave on an eerie bluish glow in the darker storage room.

"Sonja," he said, "Do you remember...when I went looking for you in Seattle?"

Sonja frowned.

"Yeah, I remember."

"You asked me why I went looking for you. I never gave you an actual answer."

Sonja turned back to the cooler.

"That's right. You didn't."

"Well...I'm here to give you an answer."

Sonja looked at him expectantly. Kaiba tried to compose himself, without much success. This was it. He had to say it. If he said it and she felt the same way, well he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. But if she didn't, then it's be pretty difficult facing her again. That was putting it very mildly. Oh well. He didn't get to be president of KaibaCorp or world dueling champion at one point by hesitating.

"Sonja, the reason I went looking for you was because...."

He trailed off for a second. He couldn't remember ever having been this uncomfortable.

Sonja just stared disbelievingly. Was he admitting what she thought he was?

"I went looking for you...because...because I care about you." Kaiba finally managed to get out. He closed his eyes for a second, relieved to have finally said it. He totally expected her to get mad again, like she usually did. After all, what had he been thinking? He was always so indifferent toward her and she never seemed to notice. Why the heck would she care about him like Zigfried had implied? On that note, what the heck inspired him to listen to Zigfried?

"So," he said quietly. "I suppose...."

But he never finished his sentence. When he looked back at Sonja, he was shocked to see her leaning on the cooler, fists clenched.

"Sonja?" he said.

"It certainly took you long enough." she mumbled.

Kaiba frowned and approached cautiously, placing his hand on her shoulder. Sonja straightened up slightly. Her hair covered her eyes.

"I still see you in those night terrors. Thanks to Zigfried's interference, I understand why. It's because...I feel the exact same way."

Kaiba's eyes widened. Sonja nodded once, still facing away from him.

"I have for a while, now. A year, at least. But I couldn't be sure. After all, why would you show any interest in an oddball like me? I'm your opposite in almost every way."

"Sonja listen to me," Kaiba said firmly. He turned her so she faced him. He immediately forgot what he was going to say when he saw how pained her face was.

"Why are you so stubborn!?" she yelled suddenly, attempting to shove him back roughly. Kaiba stood his ground.

"I won't tolerate being toyed with! Hear me!?" Sonja exclaimed, her eyes blazing.

Kaiba understood what she was doing. Like him, she was uncomfortable. She was scared that she'd be betrayed and hurt again like she had during her captivity with Allan. Her barrier was trying to shove him away to protect herself. And he understood exactly how she felt. After all, for a long time, he'd done the exact same thing. The only difference was that he'd had someone to help him lower the barrier and that was Mokuba. Sophie had been to little to understand Sonja's problems, so Sonja had been on her own. They'd both grown up trying to protect themselves, but Sonja was so afraid of getting hurt again that she'd never taken her barriers down. Before now, he'd have backed off and given her her space. They were both going through the same thing and he finally understood everything. He needed her and he could sense that she needed him. They were able to support each other in ways neither of them could understand or speak out. But up until now, neither of them had had the courage to admit it. And now, he'd finally been brave enough to step out.

Carefully, he pulled her against him comfortingly. Sonja feebly tried to push him away, but soon ceased, sobbing softly.

"Why are you so damn stubborn?" she said, muffled.

"Because I just am." he replied simply. He could feel her whole body shaking.

Several minutes passed, but it somehow felt like hours. Both of them knew that something big had just happened and their lives had changed drastically.

"Don't leave me." Sonja muttered.

"I won't, so long as you don't leave, either." he told her.

"I won't." Sonja replied.

After a while, they stepped away from each other and Sonja folded her arms behind her, staring at the cooler.

"What now?" she asked quietly.

"What do you want?" he replied. Sonja looked over at him.

"I want to be with you. You make me feel safe, and that's a feeling I rarely have, these days. I'd like to keep that feeling. But what do you want?"

Kaiba stared long and hard at her. Her eyes, always serious, stared right back. He could count on one hand how many times he'd seen her eyes when they weren't serious.

"I want to pursue a future, with you by my side. I've always been under the impression that something like this could only be found in idiotic fairy tales. I see now how wrong I was."

Sonja smiled slightly.

"Who knew you could be so thoughtful." she whispered. "Well then, if that's what you want, I'd be honored to help."

Kaiba almost smiled, but then a thought occurred to him.

"Sonja, there's only one problem." he said grimly.

"What?"

"The media. And before you jump to conclusions, let me explain."

Sonja pulled a couple of wooden crates over and sat down on one. He took the other and stared at the floor.

"Sonja, you already know I'm very popular with the media. I'm careful to keep my name out of everything I can. I'm used to all the rats who work in the news industry and who hound us day and night, looking for scandal. But you aren't."

He cautiously reached out and took her hand. He hesitated, wondering if he'd pushed it too far right now. But when she closed her hand over his, he relaxed.

"You're worried about me." she said.

"Sonja, we have to keep this whole thing a secret. I'm confidant enough now to openly admit to you how I feel about you."

"I understand. But only when we're alone, like now."

He nodded. "Exactly. We'll have to keep up the facade that we're just partners. If we don't, it could spell trouble."

Sonja nodded.

"I get it. But, I wish we didn't have to. This is real sudden, but now that we both know, I just...well, I somehow feel a little closer to you than I have in a long time, Seto."

She looked up at him and was surprised to see he was actually smiling.

"I understand."

A/N: Wasn't that cute? Cauryn said it was slightly cheesy and unfortunately, there's really no way to write a romantic epiphany that _isn't _cheesy. If anyone can do it successfully, I'd like to meet them. But all three of us agree that it works. So I hope you enjoy the rest of this story, because things are never going to be the same again from here on out.


	10. Careful Secret

A/N: Holy crap! How'd I write such a long chapter!!? Over 11,000 words!! Jeez. Well, don't worry, they won't all be like this. But I can't shorten it because everything in this chapter is necessary. Oh well. Hope you enjoy it, just the same.

Careful Secret

Sonja wrapped herself in her blanket on the sofa, watching an old movie on the television. Recently, a lot of things had happened about which she was very thoughtful.

For one thing, she could now openly admit that she greatly cared about, and possibly even loved him. And he actually felt the same way about her, which was a pleasant, albeit unexpected surprise.

It was somewhat hard to believe this had happened. He really didn't seem like the kind of guy to admit to anyone anything like he had her. But then, she was sure it'd been anything but easy for him.

Sonja sat up and stared out the window.

Now that they both accepted it and found it was mutual, she was finding it hard to keep it a secret like he'd said. He'd told her that he was doing it to protect her. And she understood. Those street reporters were interested in sensational stories and scandals. And she knew that if this got out at the wrong time, it could be bad. If word got out that the infamous Seto Kaiba was actually seeing someone, things could escalate in a matter of minutes.

She glanced at the clock. It was almost time to open the shop for the day. And tonight was Sophie's turn to have the pullout. Sonja sighed and got up, stretching. She went and quietly got dressed, pausing to check on Arika. Lately, Arika had been doing a lot better and had weaned herself off the pain medication. She was even able to get around and Sonja once found the kitchen cleaned up when she got back upstairs. It was almost perfect (with the exception of two broken plates and a cracked mug.)

Moving quietly so as not to disturb the peacefully resting Sophie, she slipped outside and downstairs, thinking ahead so far in the day that she didn't notice who was standing right outside the door. She stopped, surprised.

"Oh, hi." she said. "I'm just about to open."

"I know." the girl said. She was staring at Sonja coldly. Sonja had to stare back, mainly at the girl's outrageous choices of clothing. She was wearing a pink spaghetti strap beneath a denim jacket, yellow and red striped plaited skirt, pink and red striped knee-high socks and brown slip-on shoes with a bright blue scarf tied over her flaming red hair to top it off. Her blue eyes blazed into Sonja's brown ones. It almost seemed like a challenge.

"How do you know I was about to open?" Sonja asked. The girl snorted.

"Simple. I've been watching you." she snapped, shoving her index finger in Sonja's face. The girl scowled. "And you're up to no good!"

Sonja blinked. The girl didn't move from her dramatic position.

"Okay, then." Sonja said. "Excuse me,"

She attempted to move around her. She stood in her way. Sonja frowned and stepped to the side.

The girl copied her.

She stepped to the other side.

The girl continued to copy her. Sonja growled. She sidestepped in a feign attempt to step around her and as the girl took the bait, she whirled the other way and grasped the handle of the door, unlocking and opening it.

"No fair! You cheated!" the girl shrieked.

"Be quiet, most people around here sleep past the crack of dawn." Sonja grumbled as she turned on the lights. The door opened as the girl ran in, sputtering.

"Stop right there!"

Sonja went into the back and turned on the sprayers.

"I said stop!"

Sonja went behind her desk and turned on the computer.

"Stop, dang it!"

Sonja reached beneath her desk and pulled out a book. By now, the girl's face was the same shade as her hair, or close anyway.

"What the heck is your problem!?" the girl shrieked, balling her fists. Sonja turned a page, not looking up.

"My problem is there's an immature little kid yelling at me." she replied. Here, the girl's eyes widened.

"_Kid!? _Look here, I'll have you know I'm eighteen years of age, going to be nineteen this very month! Don't you dare call me a kid!"

"Whatever you say, kid." Sonja muttered absently. As the girl prepared to go on another tangent, Sonja put the book down and glared at her.

"Look, just who the heck are you?"

The girl placed her hands on her hips and assumed a triumphantly smug pose.

"My name is Sandra. Sandra Carmichael. And you-" she accentuated with a dramatic pointing, "-Are my biggest rival!"

Sonja just stared.

"How much sugar have you had today, Sandra?" she asked. She frowned. "Wait a second, you wouldn't happen to have an uncle living in Seattle, would you?"

"I do. My uncle Lloyd. I used to live with him and aunt Susan. But then I found out my idol and future husband lives out here, so I moved."

Sonja just stared.

"You're insane, kid." she grumbled. "I met your uncle. He told me your idol is Seto Kaiba, is that right?"

"Yes, that's correct." Sandra replied proudly. Sonja sighed and returned to her book. She supposed she'd better keep their relationship a secret for now.

"Give it up, Sandra. Take it from me, he doesn't even know you exist."

"Maybe not right now, but he will! First things first, I have to divest him of unwanted people. Namely, you."

Sonja returned to her book. Sandra glared.

"How come you're not retorting me? Retort, dang you! Get angry! I'm going to remove you from his life!"

"Yeah, you do that." Sonja said.

"Argh! Don't you understand!? We are rivals! We're enemies, nemesises!"

"'Nemesises' isn't a word, Sandra."

"Well I'm making it one, because you are my nemesis! You stand between me and the heart of the one man I love!"

Sonja turned a page.

"You are my arch rival! You are the cat and I'm the dog! You are the moon and I am the radiant sun! You are the pumpkin and I am the pie!"

"None of that even made sense." Sonja mumbled.

"You are the cracker and I am the cheese!"

Sonja scowled and got up.

"You are the Yin and I am the Yang!"

She grabbed Sandra by the arm and dragged her to the door.

"You are the sheep and I am the wolf!"

She opened the door.

"You are the rain and I am the snow!"

She shoved her out the door.

"You are the-"

She slammed the door and locked it as Sandra banged on the door and screamed muffled nonsense in at her. She sat back down behind her desk, drowning out the irate girl as she ranted on the sidewalk. She opened her book up and picked up where she left off.

"Well, this has been a fun morning." she muttered.

//ooo//

A little while following Sandra's outburst, Sonja checked to make sure she was gone. When she found it was safe to go out and get the mail, she opened the box and dozens of pieces of paper fell out. They were all colored in either bright yellow, blue or red. All of them had little angry faces drawn in one of the corners.

She gathered them all up, along with the few pieces of actual mail and carried them inside. She then proceeded to spend the next hour sorting through everything. By the time she was finished, she'd had to get a toaster box to hold all of Sandra's hate mail.

"I think I have a problem on my hands." she said as she threw the last letter in. She turned to her computer and logged in.

//ooo//

Sophie yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She got up and stretched and then yelled and jumped with she saw Daichi sitting at the table drinking a cup of milk. She froze, face reddening and quite aware of her showing midriff.

"Uh," she stammered. "Good morning."

"Morning, cherry." Daichi muttered. Sophie realized he was talking about her face. She scowled and whirled to fold her sleeping bag.

"You're just a creepy pervert." she snapped.

Daichi shrugged and sipped his milk.

"Whatever. I was waiting for you to get up. I need some help." he said tonelessly. Sophie turned, eying him skeptically.

"Help with what?"

He jerked his thumb over to the toaster. Thick black smoke curled up from the vents.

"I think it's broken." he said. Sophie wandered over and peered down into it. Daichi approached too.

"See?" he said.

"I don't see anything. I do, however, detect the pungent odor of burnt toast."

She unplugged the toaster first and then picked a wooden spoon out of the drawer. She gently dug the well of the spoon into the vent and came out with the charred remains of a whole bagel stuffed into a single slot. She stared at it and then glowered at Daichi.

"What on earth were you thinking, sticking a bagel into a toaster that just doesn't happen to be designed for bagels!?" she exclaimed.

"I wanted a bagel." he said weakly. Sophie sighed in defeat as she dropped the burnt, unrecognizable lump of charcoal into the trashcan.

"You could have started a fire. You know better than that. Now our toaster's ruined. It jammed the springs into place" she snapped, peering down through the vent. .

"Sorry."

Sophie was about to growl something else at him, but she stopped. She glanced at him curiously. He was gazing to the side absently. It occurred to her that his apology sounded sincere.

"Hey," she said. He cut her off.

"I'll buy you guys a new toaster." he said quietly. Sophie just stared disbelievingly. Then, she smiled gently and put her hand on his shoulder.

"No sweat, guy." she said. "Listen, how about we go and get some breakfast? Huh?"

Daichi hesitated. He clearly wasn't comfortable and already felt bad about ruining the toaster.

"Listen, Sophie, I-"

"No buts. Come on, I'll get dressed and you think of where we should go. I can bring Sonja and Arika back something, too."

Daichi sighed and to her shock, actually smiled.

"All right. But I'm buying, this time."

Sophie gave him a thumb's up.

"Fair enough."

//ooo//

Sonja had made some fried rice and taken it down into the shop during her lunch period. As she stirred it around with her fork, she heard the door open and looked up. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed.

"Okay, Sandra, what now?" she asked, eating a forkful of rice.

"I want a job." Sandra declared. Sonja choked and coughed violently. She glared up at Sandra staring at her unblinking.

"You want a job? Here?" she gasped.

"Yes, here. Now. Right here, right now." Sandra snapped. "I want to keep an eye on you. I don't want anyone bothering my darling Seto Kaiba."

Sonja just stared.

"Now why should I give you, my "arch rival" a job?" she asked sarcastically.

"Because I know you're in contact with Seto! I want to be here so I can save him from your evil clutches!"

"I'm guessing from the dramatic gestures that you're an anime fan." Sonja mumbled. She stood up.

"Look, I'm not hiring, nor will I ever. I've handled this business just fine for five years. I don't need any workers."

"I'll keep sending those threatening letters!" Sandra yelled.

"I hardly think those qualify as threatening." Sonja countered.

"Why not?"

"A, you sent them on very pretty, high-quality stationary. B, the threats themselves are pathetic and C, you just admitted you sent them, which makes them even less threatening."

Sandra sputtered and stuck her lower lip out.

"Just give me a freaking job." she snapped. Sonja eyed her irritably.

"You won't take no for an answer, will you?"

"No."

Sonja sighed.

"Fine, you can clean up the floors and flower leaves and petals. You'll get five dollars an hour and work for four hours a day during the times we aren't busy. Are you happy, now?"

Sandra blinked, stunned. Then, she grinned.

"You bet I'm happy! Just wait'll Seto sees me. He'll drop you like a three-inch putt!"

Sonja rolled her eyes and went into the back room.

Why did she have a feeling like this wasn't going to work?

//ooo//

That afternoon, Sonja spent her time sweeping the sidewalk out front while Sandra scrubbed the floor inside. Every now and then, Sonja would glance in through the window at her. To put it lightly, Sandra was terrible at scrubbing floors. She was spreading more dirt around than she was picking up. And instead of wringing water out of the cloth before setting it on the floor after soaking it, she plunked it into the bucket and sloshed water all over the place. Sonja shook her head. She'd have to redo it later on after reprimanding her new employee. She set her broom against her shoulder and went in.

Sandra looked up, her face red from exertion. Sonja motioned for her to stand up. She took the rag from Sandra, handed her the broom and pointed to the sidewalk. Sandra looked down at the floor, then to the broom and sighed irritably. She went out and shut the door behind her. Sonja removed her sweatshirt and set it on the counter. Then she got down and started soaking up the puddles of water Sandra left.

After a little while, she decided to take a break since the floors looked much better than they had. But when she looked up at Sandra outside, her jaw dropped when she saw Sandra arguing with a middle-aged man next to a parking meter. When Sandra took a swing at him with the broom (missing, thankfully) Sonja ran outside and snatched the broom just before she swung at him a second time, nearly pulling Sandra over in the process as the man ran off.

"Get back here, you freaking pervert! I'll knock you into next week!" Sandra screamed, causing passerby to stare as Sonja wrestled her back into the shop and slammed the door.

"Okay," Sonja muttered. "It seems cleaning isn't your cup of tea. Look after the register."

She shoved Sandra behind the desk and down onto the stool. Then she took the broom in hand and went out to finish Sandra's job. Her new neighbor was an elderly woman who owned a small antique shop. The old woman, whose name was Bernice Van Guard, wasn't able enough to sweep up in front of her shop, so Sonja did it for her. It took a little longer, sweeping both shop fronts, but Sonja didn't mind. Sometimes, Bernice invited her in for tea during the colder months. Sonja had tried refusing politely, but Bernice always insisted fiercely that she be rewarded, so Sonja quit trying. Besides, it was hard to resist the ginger tea Bernice was apparently famous for.

After Sonja finished the sidewalk, she turned to look at her shop. Her shoulders sagged when she saw two women storm out, one covered in soil and the other with a wilted daisy seemingly sprouting from her hair.

"Sandra." Sonja growled as the door opened and Sandra dashed out, waving her fist after them.

"Well, who needs you!? We get better clientele than you old bags, any day!" she shrieked. She stalked back inside and slammed the door. Sonja sighed. Those 'old bags' had been two of her best customers, always purchasing flower decorations for their charity and society functions.

"All right, that does it." Sonja snapped, throwing down her broom and storming back into the shop. She found Sandra sitting behind the desk, typing away on the computer. Sandra looked up and snorted.

"Lousy customers, you got here." she said. "But don't you worry, I chased 'em off for you! They were all in my face, asking about their orders and giving me stupid excuses why they couldn't pick them up in time. But don't you worry, boss, I took care of 'em."

Sonja just glared.

"Sandra, you do realize you just chased off my two best customers, right?" she grumbled. Sandra shrugged.

"You win some, you lose some." she said, continuing to type.

"What the heck are you writing?"

"A love letter. Got a printer? I'd like to send it." Sandra answered plainly. Sonja scowled.

"A love letter? To who?"

"My future husband, of course." Sandra said.

That did it. Sonja hurried over, snatched her computer and pulled it over to her. Sandra whined, but folded her arms and frowned.

"Go ahead and read it. I'm not worried. You're hardly competition." she drawled. But Sonja didn't read it. She exited the word program and then logged out of her server, effectively locking Sandra out. She pushed the computer back and put her hands on her hips, daring Sandra to try to get in again. Sandra's face fell when she saw the password box.

"You deleted my letter." she muttered. "You're just jealous! That's all you are!"

Sonja leaned over the counter, giving her a look to freeze.

"Listen, you pipsqueak, all day long you've been proving to be the biggest pain in the neck I've ever seen! I've got to go apologize to those two women you chased out of here if I want my business to survive and when I get back, you'd better have gotten your act together. So help me, I will kick you out if I have to! Got it!?"

Sandra looked stunned and angered that she'd been yelled at. But she looked away and muttered a growling 'yes'. Sonja pushed away from the counter and headed toward the door.

"I'm docking half your pay for this week for everything you screwed up, today." she growled, putting her sweatshirt back on as she left the shop. She heard Sandra screaming furiously as she walked away.

Halfway down the street, she wasn't looking where she was going and accidentally walked into someone.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Sonja, you're pretty out of it, aren't you?"

Sonja blinked and stared at the kid she'd walked into.

"Oh, hey Mokuba." she said. "I didn't see you."

Mokuba shrugged.

"These things happen. What's up?"

Sonja sighed. "I just took on an apprentice." she said.

"Really?" Mokuba asked. "What for? Your business is kinda small."

"I didn't really have much choice. She demanded I give her one. And wait'll you hear the reason. Listen, I need to rant a bit, so can I make it up to you and your ears by treating you to a hot chocolate?" she asked. Mokuba grinned and nodded.

"Sure thing!" he exclaimed.

Lonnie's was close by and Sonja ordered a hot jasmine tea for herself and a hot chocolate for Mokuba. They sat outside to talk a bit. Mokuba stuck his nose into the fluffy whipped topping on his hot chocolate and looked at Sonja, who had to chuckle.

"You're good at cheering people up." she said.

"I have to be; look who I've got for an older brother." he joked. "So what's going on? What's with the apprentice?"

Sonja sighed irritably.

"She came in demanding a job. She says she wants to keep an eye on me. But she's no good at anything I tell her to do. She single-handedly chased off my best customers."

"Why does she want to keep an eye on you?" Mokuba asked. He'd taken a drink and the whipped cream looked like a beard and mustache on his face. He went cross-eyed looking down at it on his nose, making Sonja laugh again.

"Well," she said after a few seconds, "She apparently has an insanely huge crush on your brother."

Mokuba's eyes bugged.

"She's got no hope." Mokuba said with a shake of his head. "Word is that Seto's only got eyes for you, so to speak."

Sonja looked down at the sidewalk and Mokuba's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Even so," she said, "She's driving me nuts. She can't scrub floors, she tried to beat someone up with a broom, she dumped potting soil and Mrs. Weatherby and Mrs. Tilton and I caught her typing love letters on my computer."

Mokuba snickered.

"I can guess who they were for." he said. Sonja nodded, sipping her tea.

"Yup. I stopped her before she could print them. From what I glimpsed before I logged out of my server, Seto would have been ticked."

"Do I want to know?" Mokuba asked, licking the whipped cream from his mouth.

"Not really. Lets' just say she's no Emily Dickinson. I've got her on register, right now."

"Does Sophie know about her?"

Sonja shook her head. "No, not yet. But this girl is going to drive me crazy, and she's only been working for me for one day."

"If you want, I can prank her a bit, try to scare her off." Mokuba offered.

"You're sweet, but no thanks. Besides, Seto scares just about everybody without even meaning to. I figure the next time he visits, he'll scare her away for sure."

"You can only hope, right?" Mokuba inquired, finishing his hot chocolate. Sonja nodded.

"Yup. In any case, I should probably go find Mrs. Weatherby and Mrs. Tilton and apologize."

She got up and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Thanks for helping, Mokuba." she said. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Sonja." Mokuba said. He watched her as she left, suddenly serious.

"I wonder...." he mumbled.

//ooo//

Sonja found Sandra with her head down on the desk, fast asleep. She sighed and stalked over, flicking her on the forehead. Sandra bolted up with a yell, glowering at her.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" she growled.

"I'd like to have a good reason for paying you to work in here. Get to work!" Sonja yelled. Sandra leapt up and snatched the broom.

"Fine, I'll sweep outside." she snapped.

But as she was heading out, the door opened and Sonja heard a slight shriek. She turned to see Sandra frozen in place, staring.

Kaiba just raised an eyebrow and made his way around her. Sandra didn't move.

"Uh, Sonja, can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Sure." she said. As she spoke Sandra bristled and turned stiffly. Sonja's eyes narrowed.

"Sandra, could you step outside for a moment?" she asked. Sandra's face turned bright red.

"No way am I leaving you here alone with him!" she shrieked. But when Kaiba stared at her curiously, she squeaked and dashed outside, ducking down below the window so that only the top of her head could be seen.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"That was my new employee, Sandra. Oh, and did I mention she's got a crush on you the size of Domino city?" Sonja added wryly. Kaiba just blinked.

"Okay, then." he said. "So why did you hire her?"

"She didn't give me much choice." Sonja said. She reached below the counter and pulled up a cardboard box filled with brightly colored paper.

"That's why." she said. She took three out and handed them to him. "Read the red one, first, then the yellow one and then the blue one." she said.

Kaiba unfolded the red paper and read it:

" 'Stay away from Seto Kaiba or I'll mail you a fish'." he read. He picked up the yellow one.

"'Refer back to the first one, or I'll mail you a rotten sock and fish stick casserole'."

Finally, he unfolded the blue one:

"'Scratch the red and yellow ones; my aunt won't let me send anything bigger than a toothbrush. But stay away from Seto!'"

He put them down and sighed.

"This brings back weird memories." he said. "Do you remember Vivian Wong?"

"Yeah."

"She sent me letters kind of like this." he said. He glanced out the window where Sandra was staring in. She squeaked again and ducked down out of sight.

"I see. Well, I'm stuck with her." Sonja said. "So, what brings you here?"

Kaiba hesitated.

"I'll tell you later. That kid's creeping me out." he said. With that, he turned and headed for the door. He jumped a bit when Sandra screamed and dashed back inside, attempting to hide behind a potted fern. Kaiba rolled his eyes and headed off. Sonja smirked.

"Way to keep your cool." she said.

"I needed him to notice me. It won't be long now before he pops the question." Sandra said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, sure." Sonja said. "Please get to work."

Sandra snorted. "Sure, whatever." she growled. "I tell you what, for being such a good sport, you can be my maid of honor."

Sonja turned around and picked up a box filled with bags of mulch.

"In the meantime, you can unpack these bags and fill all of the pots." she said, shoving the box into Sandra's arms. Sandra groaned.

"Man, why'd I get roped into this?" she grumbled. Sonja sighed.

"Don't complain, Sandra, I'm the one paying you." she backfired.

//ooo//

Daichi sat across from Sophie at a local cafe. Sophie had seemed to bring up a new tradition for the two of them, enjoying sodas in Lonnie's. Sophie always ordered Dr. Pepper, while Daichi stuck with Pepsi.

"Yummy. Come on, Daichi, drink up, my treat!"

"Why are being so nice to me?" he asked suddenly. Sophie shrugged.

"'Cause I feel like it. You're too unsocial. I'm on a mission to fix that." she declared. Daichi just stared at her. He sipped his pop and hummed.

"It's getting colder out." he said.

"Yeah, and school's a pain. Good thing it's Saturday, huh? We can hang out!"

Daichi looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"Huh?" he said. Sophie sighed.

"You're too clammy." she said.

"Clammy?"

"Yeah, you're a clam. You shut yourself off from everybody. Open up a bit more, will ya?"

"I'm talking, aren't I?"

"Touche."

They sat in silence for a while. Sophie stirred her soda around. Daichi noticed this and found himself understand how she was related to Sonja. They both had bouts of melancholy.

//ooo//

All too soon, Monday rolled around. By this time, Sonja was at her wits' end with Sandra, who'd effectively chased off another good customer and broken three good flower pots. When Sonja paid her on Sunday, the total of Sandra's check came out to $1.65 after deducting for damages.

This was Daichi and Arika's first day at Domino high. Arika had to stay home because of her leg, so Daichi was going to bring her work home. This was Sophie's second year at Domino high and she was a sophomore. Daichi had to be placed with the Juniors so he could adjust to the different curriculum and Sophie was going to show him the ropes.

"I made us two lunches," she announced when she finally came outside. Daichi had been waiting for twenty minutes for her to be ready.

"Yeah?" he said blandly. She shoved one into his hand.

"Yup. I figure since you're from Japan, I made us typical bento lunches. Tomorrow, I'll just make sandwiches."

"What'd you make?" he asked, eying it cautiously.

"I'm not much of a cook. But I did my best. I made shrimp and onion omelets, turkey and cheese with jello and pineapple and applesauce soaked in brown sugar and cinnamon."

Daichi gagged and Sophie scowled.

"Shut up! I never said you have to eat it! I can't help it Sonja's better at cooking than I am. Besides, I just used whatever the heck I found lying around."

Daichi quelled the feeling of queasiness as they started toward the school. Sonja was outside pruning the tree in front of the shop.

"Have a nice day, guys." she called.

"Right. See you later, sis!" Sophie called and winced as Sonja fell off the ladder as she waved back.

"I'm okay!" Sonja called painfully. "Just get out of here."

Sophie giggled. "Okay. Don't kill yourself before I get back!"

She grabbed Daichi's arm and hurried away, barely avoiding the branch Sonja sent flying toward them.

At the school, kids were filing in. Everyone was discussing their weekends and making plans for the next one. Slightly uncomfortable, Daichi stuck close to Sophie. Sophie sighed.

"Listen, you're gonna have a ton of fun, here. Domino High rocks."

She helped him find his locker. He put his books and everything in it and turned.

"I don't know. I don't really like this place." he said.

"Don't worry so much." Sophie said reassuringly. Daichi still wasn't sure.

"Sophie!"

They both turned as two girls came running up toward them, one with a braid and thick glasses and the other with short black hair. They stopped and the short-haired one clapped Sophie's shoulder.

"Hey, girl. How are you?"

"Hey Amy. I'm good. Hi Maya."

Amy eyed Daichi and blinked. Then, a smug look took over her face.

"Ooh, who's your cute friend?" she asked.

"This is Daichi. He's an exchange student from Japan." Sophie explained. "Daichi, these are my friends Amy and Maya."

"Hey." Daichi muttered. He shoved his hands in his pockets. Maya looked away and Amy blushed.

"He's cool!" she gushed. Sophie rolled her eyes. Amy chuckled. "So, uh, how'd you meet him?" she asked.

"Oh, we live together." Sophie answered.

All three of them froze and Daichi's eye started twitching.

"H...Huh?" Amy stammered. Daichi sighed angrily.

"Sophie," he said, grabbing her arm, "Can I talk to you-alone?"

"Sure." Sophie said as he dragged her away. Once they were a good distance away from Amy and Maya, Daichi confronted her.

"Sophie, do you have any idea how wrong that sounded?" he exclaimed.

"All I said was...oh, right. I suppose you're right." she said, frowning. Then she turned and took a breath, cupping her hands over her mouth as she yelled: "Hey guys, wrong choice of words! We sleep in different rooms!" she called. Amy and Maya started giggling uncontrollably and Daichi slapped a hand over his eyes, groaning.

//ooo//

_Crash!_

Sonja stared in dismay at the remains of a glass vase lying on the floor. Sandra stood with her hands on her hips, gazing down at it.

"Whoops. Oh well. That thing was ancient." she said. Sonja clunked her head down on the counter and sighed.

"Sandra, why don't you go home for today?" she suggested wearily.

"Oh fine. But you remember what I said- stay away from my Seto."

Sonja made a face as Sandra went outside and stalked away. Sonja sighed and was about to go upstairs when the phone rang. She answered it.

"Hello?" she asked, too tired to answer the professional way.

"_Is she gone?" _

"Seto? Yeah, Sandra just left. Wait, how'd you know she was leaving?"

She looked up at someone knocking at the window. It was Kaiba, talking on his cell phone. Sonja rolled her eyes.

"You're paranoid." she said when came in, hanging up.

"I'm not paranoid, Sonja. I don't like that girl, but it's difficult avoiding her. She followed us home the other day."

"Oh really." Sonja muttered. "Maybe I'd better have a little talk with her."

"Why are you even putting up with her?" Kaiba asked curiously.

"Well, I kind of feel sorry for her, you know. She doesn't even know about, well, you know. She drives me bonkers, but she'll be absolutely crushed when she finds out. She really idolizes you."

Kaiba shook his head.

"Idolization and obsession are often confused with one another." he told her. "It's just a phase and she'll get over it."

Sonja scowled.

"You're such a creep." she snapped. She swung around on the stool and faced the wall. Neither spoke for several minutes and Kaiba passed the short time by staring at a spider crawling on one of Sonja's Geraniums.

"Sonja," he said finally.

"Yeah?" she mumbled. She was writing on a notepad in front of her.

"Next week there's a dueling tournament I've been invited to. I was asked to participate, but I've put up my deck for the moment. I'm going as an observer. I'm allowed to bring a guest, so-"

"I'd love to go." Sonja said, turning halfway. Kaiba stopped. He hesitated and then nodded, regaining his composure.

"Fine. It's in the next county, so be ready to leave by nine this Saturday. It'll just be a one-day event. Part of the reason I turned down the offer to participate was because of the lack of challenge in it."

And with that, he turned and left the shop. Sonja rolled her eyes.

"Some things never change, do they Seto?" she mumbled.

//ooo//

Domino High was in the middle of the field day. It was when all the clubs gathered around the campus to attract people to join. The archery club, track and field club, computer club and chess club were only a few options. The chess members were a bit odd. They kept muttering about a supposed genius at the game they'd wanted to join back when he attended the school. They were doing this as Sophie and Daichi took in the atmosphere after school. Curious, Sophie approached.

"Um, what are you guys growling about?" she asked. The leader, a wiry boy with stringy hair and bifocals (which made him even odder) frowned at her.

"We get miffed this time every year because it was at this event that we asked the chess champion of Domino to join us. Despite our bad rep, we're a very prestigious group. And he turned us down hard enough to crack my crystal cased watch."

"Who was he?"

"Who else? Seto Kaiba." the kid grumbled.

"Woah." Sophie said as the kid walked away. "Now that is something."

"Hm." Daichi muttered, scratching his head. Sophie frowned.

'You've been acting weird lately. I'm the only one you ever talk to and you aren't even talking to me, now. What's up, huh? Is Mokuba starting to get to you? Yes, he can be immature, but look who he's got for a brother and from the way I hope things are going, a future sister-in-law."

"Hm."

Sophie went a bright red.

"That's all you've got to say!? Look, I didn't have to come to this stupid event! I've already been forced to eat some gross concoction whipped up by the cooking club made of who knows what! The least you could do is give me the benefit of speech, mister!"

"Hm."

Daichi yelled when Sophie smacked him with her bag all of a sudden and took off running. Daichi sighed irritably and hurried after her.

"Sophie, wait!" he yelled. By the time he finally caught up with her, she was in the body painting booth, getting a little red heart painted on her cheek. When she spotted him, she smiled and patted the stool beside her. Daichi's eyebrow twitched.

She'd already forgotten the whole thing.

He sat and waited while she finished up. She checked it out in a mirror and squealed.

"It's so cute!" she exclaimed. "I oughta talk sis into getting one!"

"Somehow, I doubt she'll go for it." Daichi said disinterestedly. Sophie frowned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

With that, she dragged him away toward a booth selling snow cones.

"Want one? I'm buying." she said. Daichi blinked, studied the flavors and sighed.

"Sure."

"Try not to get too excited, there." Sophie muttered. She ordered raspberry for herself and a cherry for him. She took a huge bite and immediately hummed shrilly. Daichi smirked.

"Brain freeze?" he ventured.

"Uh-huh." Sophie muttered, clutching her forehead. Daichi shook his head. He stared off toward the field, his thoughts a million miles away.

//ooo//

The sun was starting to go down. Sophie stared at it a second and sighed.

"Eh, all good things must come to an end." she said. "Shall we head back to the perilous underworld?" she asked Daichi. Daichi raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Sonja's apartment is small, but it's not _that _bad." Daichi said. Sophie rolled her eyes. As they were leaving the school, Daichi stopped her.

"Hey," he said. "We weren't given much homework this weekend, were we?" he said.

'Nope. Ms. Dalton gave me three sheets of English to do, but other than that, we were lucky. Why?"

"Well, um, do you...like movies?" he asked awkwardly. Sophie blinked and then smirked.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" she said slyly. Daichi stared at the wall beside him.

"There's some kind of new mystery movie coming out. I was gonna go, but I hate going to movies alone."

"I'd love to go! But why mystery?" Sophie asked.

"My other choice was horror, but I didn't think-"

He jumped when Sophie smacked him again, this time much more gently.

"Dolt, I adore horror films. I'm always watching 'em. It's Sonja who doesn't like them. By the way, are you asking me on a date?" she asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Depends. Is that okay?" Daichi asked carefully. Sophie eyed him a second.

"Absolutely! I'd love to go on a date with you, Daichi. Just don't pull anything funny and we're set! How's Saturday for you? Sis is going out of town with Mr. Kaiba for some kind of tournament that day and she won't be back till late."

"Sure." Daichi said, amazed that she'd agreed.

"Great! Lets' get going now." Sophie said. She started off, rocking her head to a tune inside her head as she went. Daichi just stared.

"That went a lot easier than I thought it would." he said to himself.

//ooo//

Sonja yawned slightly and stared out the car window.

"Awfully early, isn't it?" she muttered.

"I told you when to be ready." he replied. Sonja glowered at him.

"I told you what happened. We must have had a power failure and my alarm didn't go off like it was supposed to. I may be a light sleeper, but I need an alarm or I have trouble waking up on time."

"You were only ten minutes late." Kaiba said. Sonja stared at him disbelievingly. He blinked. "What?"

"This is a switch. Me getting mad at me for a change and you telling me to stop."

"Just concentrate on the map." he growled, stopping at the light.

"That reminds me. How come you're driving us there? Is something wrong with Roland?"

"He had some trouble with his family."

It was true. Roland had come into the office yesterday looking quite freaked out to say the least.

_"Pardon my intrusion, Mr. Kaiba," _

_Kaiba looked up from his work. Roland stood in the door, standing straight like he always did, but clearly fidgeting. _

_"What is it?" _

_"I'm sorry, but I desperately need a few days off. My sister in New York is very sick and the doctors say I should come immediately." _

_Kaiba looked at him a moment and returned to working. _

_"You haven't requested off in a long time," he said. "A few days, huh? You do know what a few days can do to the schedule, right?" he said, eyes narrowing. _

_"Yes sir, but it's only for three days." _

_Kaiba sighed. _

_"Very well. You may use the company's travel package. I'll see you in three weeks." he said. _

_Roland was about to say something, but the phone rang suddenly and Kaiba had to answer it. Unsure of what to do, Roland bowed. _

_"Thank you very much, sir." he said quickly. _

"I gave him a few weeks off to visit his sister." Kaiba said.

"Three weeks? But he only asked for three days." Sonja said. She smiled slightly. "Who knew you had such a soft side."

"What about you? What would _you_ have done?"

"The exact same thing, perhaps." Sonja replied. She stared out the window. Somehow, even though nothing had visibly changed, things were so much more different between them.

The drive was long and Sonja quickly fell asleep. The inside of the car was warm compared to the frigid outside. It was almost December. Kaiba drove in silence, casting occasional glances at her. Once again, he was struck by how peaceful she looked when she was asleep. Sometimes it seemed as though she was as happy asleep as she was awake. Perhaps even happier. He was still reminding himself that they were, to use a common phrase, going out. To him, it sounded too, well temporary. Like if he used a phrase like that, their relationship would end up like so many unfortunate cases these days. He frowned. It was getting easier admitting to himself that he did in fact love Sonja. He hadn't fully admitted it to her, yet. But something told him he didn't have to right away. That inner voice told him that she already knew and felt the same way without having to say anything.

Without even realizing it, he found they'd arrived at the convention hall where the tournament was supposed to take place. But when he pulled up close to the building, he saw some kind of notice pasted on the doors. He rolled down the window to get a better look, effectively chilling the interior of the car with an arctic wave. He sighed irritably and rolled the window back up. Due to undisclosed circumstances, the tournament's location had moved two states away. Instead, there was a robotics show going on. Now while he found that to be an interesting compensation for missing the duels, he wasn't sure what Sonja would think. He found a suitable place to park and sat back to wait until she woke up and think for a bit.

He didn't have long to wait. Sonja stirred just ten minutes later and sat up with a small yawn.

"Seto? Are we there?" she asked sleepily.

"Yes. But there's some bad news." he said.

"What?" she asked, a little more awake but visibly groggy.

"The tournament's been moved two states away. A robotics display has been set up in its place."

To his surprise, Sonja smiled, still sleepy.

"That sounds fun." she said. "Do you want to go?"

"Well, yes. But you probably wouldn't find it that interesting."

"How do you know? You're interested because you're mechanically minded. I'm interested because, well, because I am. Besides, well...never mind." she said, cutting herself off.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Sonja, what?" he probed. She shook her head, not looking at him. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"_What_?" he insisted. Sonja tugged a string on her sweater.

"Well, I suppose this would count as, you know...our first um, date."

Both fell silent. It was slightly embarrassing, but it was only the two of them. Besides, nobody had to know just yet except for them.

"I guess you're right." Kaiba said. "Fine. Lets' go then."

Sonja nodded.

Outside, it was frigid and Sonja shivered.

"Jeez, it's cold. I should have worn a coat instead of this flimsy sweater. Lets' get inside before we freeze." she said.

"Good plan." Kaiba replied.

"Good grief, you'd think I'd be used to the cold; I grew up on the streets, after all." Sonja muttered.

"You'd think you'd grow to hate it in that circumstance." Kaiba pointed out.

"Ah, the old lose-lose situation." Sonja grumbled wryly. "A classic."

The inside of the hall was enormous. Sonja was reminded of the science center back in Seattle. All along the walls and down the center, robotic displays lined the floor on tables and mats. The builders stood proudly beside their creations, answering questions and tinkering with loose ends on the structures. There was a robot close to them that could sort different balls according to their weight. The one next to it had a large metal hoop that, according to what the man was saying, could lift up to a hundred and fifty pounds. As they passed it, Sonja paused when the man called out to her.

"You there, girl in the white!" he yelled, apparently mistaking her hair for a coat draped over her head.

"Yes?" she said. Kaiba paused.

"Be careful, he's going to ask you to demonstrate to the crowd." he mumbled.

"How about you come up here for a second?" the man asked. Sonja looked to Kaiba for guidance. He nodded, but gave her a look showing wariness.

"What do I do?" Sonja asked, trying to ignore the eyes of dozens of people watching. Somehow it was different from the dueling at the trade shows.

"How much do you weigh?" the man asked. Unfortunately, while he'd meant it to be a private question, his mouth had been too close to the microphone. Sonja scowled and giggles erupted from the crowd. The man, whose name tag read "Ted Burk" cleared his throat.

"Sorry. Are you under a hundred and fifty pounds?" he asked.

"Yes." Sonja replied irritably.

"Great." Ted said. He gestured to his robot. "This is my pride, joy and baby, the _Baconator!" _

"Why do you call it that?" Sonja asked.

"Long story. Anyway, you are under a hundred and fifty pounds, therefore, if you sit on this metal ring, you will be effortlessly lifted up by this machine!"

Sonja swallowed and glanced out at the crowd. Ted clapped her on the shoulder, knocking her breath away.

"Never fear! I've tested this baby myself! Before you came up here, it lifted first a medicine ball, a shopping cart and finally, a kitchen table. Here is the final show, the lifting of a human person!"

He pushed Sonja over to the machine and gestured to the ring. She looked cautiously at it and then at Ted, who nodded.

"Just sit on the edge of the ring here, that's it!" he exclaimed. "Now just hold onto the bar and sit tight."

Sonja watched nervously as he went to a control box to the side of the robot. He seemed to simply push a button and there was a sharp jolt. Sonja gripped the bar until her hands turned white as she was slowly lifted up into the air.

"How high does this go?" she asked.

"Just six feet." Ted replied. "Any higher would destabilize its balance."

True to his word, it stopped a minute later and Sonja estimated she was indeed six feet above the stage, but a good eight feet above the crowd. They erupted in cheers and clapping as Sonja was slowly lowered back to the ground.

"Give her a hand, folks!" Ted announced, helping her off the machine. "And for being such a good sport-" he turned to a box behind him and took out a miniature of the _Baconator, _"This lovely lady gets to take home the_ Bittybot_! A miniature _Baconator _I built myself! Fully functional and can lift up to ten pounds."

It was about the size of a loaf of bread and weighed just a little more.

Sonja jumped down off the stage and wandered back over to Kaiba.

"Well, that was...interesting." she said. She glanced down at the little robot she was holding. "But what do I do with this?"

Kaiba shrugged.

As they were walking away, they heard Ted Burk calling after them.

"Hey, wait!"

"Yes?" Sonja asked, turning around.

"I called to you because of your friend here. Isn't he Seto Kaiba?"

"You can ask him yourself." Sonja said. Ted turned to Kaiba and grinned.

"Awesome! Can I ask for your opinion? I've put so much work into my baby, here that I truly believe she's ready for mass marketing in car industries. How about a critique?"

Kaiba sighed and started up to the platform. Without any given instruction, he opened the panel revealing the innards of the robot. Sonja stood a few feet away, the _Bittybot_ sitting beside her as she watched. After not even a minute of inspection, Kaiba frowned. He glanced to the right at a table with various tools lined on it.

"Sonja, hand me a screw driver, please." he said.

"Sure." Sonja said, picking it up off the table. Ted bristled.

"W-Wait, I asked for an opinion!" he exclaimed.

"If you try to lift anything else, it'll fall to pieces." Kaiba told him as he worked on something unseen inside. "All of these pieces are loose."

"They are not! I tightened them myself!" Ted exclaimed.

"Sonja, is there a size eight wrench up there?" Kaiba asked as though he hadn't spoken. Sonja searched amongst the tools for the requested item.

"Stop!" Ted yelled. "You're going to ruin my baby!"

Sonja scowled at him. "Look guy, if you know who he is, you should know what he's famous for." Sonja snapped. "Just shut up for a minute, will you?"

Ted fell silent, wringing his hands as Kaiba worked. Several pieces were extracted and tossed aside carelessly as he continued to straighten out the inside of the machine. Finally, Kaiba stood up. He smirked over at Sonja.

While Ted watched, Kaiba got all three of the test items behind the stage up onto the metal ring. Ted whined anxiously as Kaiba positioned them so they balanced. He motioned Sonja over. She appeared nervous as he helped her up onto the balanced stack of objects on the ring. The shopping cart sat in the center of the ring with the medicine ball resting inside it and the table wedged on top of the ball. Sonja knelt on the surface of the table and waited. Kaiba went over to the controls and pressed the starting button. The ring shot up, still perfectly balanced along with its load. Sonja laughed as it made it successfully to the top and the lowered. A large crowd of people had gathered by this point, watching in awe. Ted sighed in defeat and his face went red as Kaiba brought it to a stop and Sonja jumped down.

"Okay, you've proven your point." Ted growled at Kaiba. He glared at Sonja, reached down and snatched up the _Bittybot_. With a 'humph!', he whirled and stomped off stage. Once down and away from the laughing crowd, Sonja started giggling.

"That was good, Seto." she said.

"I think I went a bit far with that." Kaiba said. "But once I saw that messed up interior, I was sorry I'd let you go through with that. I'm surprised it didn't collapse with just you on there the first time."

Sonja smiled slightly.

"Is it just me, or are you being a little protective?" she asked. Kaiba quickly turned and started off down the isle. Sonja shook her head and sighed.

"I appreciate it." she said.

//ooo//

Despite what he'd said earlier that day, Sonja was able to say she really enjoyed the robotics show. Halfway through the show, a tournament was going on between high schools and the robots they built. The robots had to complete a small series of challenges with three categories of judging. The categories were speed, efficiency and design. Sometimes the challenge would be a race and other times, an obstacle course. They'd stayed to watch for a little while.

It was a little after nine when the show was beginning to close down. Kaiba hadn't expected Sonja to last that long. But she did and she seemed to enjoy the whole day.

The ride home was quiet. Sonja appeared to be asleep.

It was just as well. Kaiba had a lot on his mind, anyway.

//ooo//

A few days later, Sonja was upstairs, pulling a tray of handmade potato chips out of the oven. She set them on the stove to cool as Sophie shuffled in, entranced by the smell.

"Sis, they smell so yummy!" she exclaimed. She reached for one and yelped as she burnt her fingers.

"Hello? Hot!" Sonja said. "I was bored and we had some potatoes that looked like they were going to spoil soon, so I decided to do something with them. I'm making grilled fish tonight for dinner, so we can eat them with that."

"Okay." Sophie said. "In the meantime, I'll see you later!"

Sonja turned and just noticed Sophie wearing one of her good skirt and blouse combos.

"Hey, where are you off to?" Sonja asked. Sophie got a sly look on her face and rocked back on the balls of her feet.

"Oh, nowhere special." she chimed. Sonja popped a chip into her mouth and frowned.

"Yeah right. No seriously." Sonja got an equally sly look and grinned. "Is it a date?" she inquired suspiciously.

"Maybe."

"Oh really. Who is it?" Sonja asked.

"Well before you guess, it's not Mokuba." Sophie said.

"I already knew that. I remember that little friendship oath you guys made up. So who is it and can I meet him?"

"Whoever said it's a him?" Sophie asked. Sonja scowled.

"If you're going down _that _route, be sure to warn me in advance." she grumbled. Sophie sighed.

"I'm only joking, Sonni. It's a him. He's a boy from school and you've met him."

"Really?" Sonja said, opening the spice cabinet and taking down a canister of salt. "I have, huh? What's he look like?"

"Well, he's got Cuchulain's hairstyle."

"You've been reading folklore again, haven't you? Okay, so he has the brown base, red center and yellow tips, or however it goes on his hair." Sonja mumbled, putting her hands on her hips. But before Sophie could continue, the door opened, revealing Daichi standing there in blue jeans and a black top. Sonja's eyes widened as Sophie hastily said goodbye and ran down the stairs. Sonja rushed to the door.

"Sophia Celeste Gavens!" she shrieked. But Sophie and Daichi were already out of sight, even though she could hear them laughing all the way down the street. Sonja leaned on the banister and sighed irritably.

"Those two." she growled.

She heard a yawn behind her and turned. Arika was awake.

"What's all the fuss about?" she asked groggily.

"Oh, nothing special." Sonja sighed. She turned back to the table and sat down. "It just seems like the entire world is crumbling out from beneath my feet, that's all."

Arika chuckled.

//ooo//

Sonja just sighed as Sandra broke yet another vase. Things were just getting too weird. Arika tied her hair up in pigtails and called herself Sailor Moon, Sophie was going out with Daichi behind her back and she herself was secretly dating the most unlikely-to-ever-fall-in-love guy there was. To top it off, the same guy had an obsessed fan who worked in her shop supposedly 'keeping an eye on her'.

Sandra cleaned up the glass and resumed sopping the floor. Yes, Sonja had developed a new word for 'mopping'. Sandra didn't mop, she drenched. Sonja was thinking about putting out for linoleum flooring.

"Hey," Sandra said.

"What?" Sonja grumbled.

"When is Seto going to come by, again?"

Sonja sighed again. "Who knows?" she said. She finished a fax to a customer and sent it through her new fax machine. This one didn't spit paper rolls out at her and actually worked when you wanted it to.

"I would've assumed you knew." Sandra snapped. "Just remember, when he comes by, you stay quiet and let me handle everything. He's mine."

Sonja rolled her eyes. How many times had they been through this? She'd lost count.

"Sandra, for the...," she counted on her fingers, "...Twelfth time, he has no idea you exist. Besides, for all you know, he might already be seeing someone."

In truth, the secret was getting to Sonja as far as Sandra was concerned. She wasn't jealous; Sandra was hardly competition. Besides, Kaiba was six years older than she was, which was a bit overboard anyway.

Sonja jumped at the clatter as the mop hit the floor. She turned.

"What do you mean he might already be seeing someone!? That means he's cheating on me!" she screeched. Sonja rubbed her ears.

"Sandra, if the two of you were never an item to begin with, it isn't cheating. It's called, losing out. There are two ways to do it; gracefully and non-gracefully. Please choose a method and stick with it. Preferably the former."

Sandra's face went bright red.

"Ooh! That does it! If he's seeing someone on the side, he's sooooo gonna get it!!"

Sonja smirked. Sandra always seemed to forget her exact reaction whenever she saw Kaiba. First squeak, then freeze, then run out of the shop and stare through the window over the planter outside until he left. Usually in that same order.

She jumped again when Sandra slammed her hands down on the counter, shoving her face directly in front of Sonja's.

"Who is it?" she snapped. "If you know, tell me!"

Sonja just blinked.

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me, who is he seeing!?"

Sonja scowled and jumped up. She couldn't take it anymore. She knew better than to tell, but Sandra was getting on her nerves.

"That's it, one more outburst like that and you're gone! Get out of my shop for a while, go get some air get what little left of your brain you had back!"

Sonja shoved her out the door and then slammed and locked it.

Sandra pounded furiously on the door and soon gave up, shuffling off and grumbling to herself. She plunked herself down on a bench a few blocks away and sighed, depressed.

"Why won't she tell me? I just want to know so I can eliminate her once and for all." she whined. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice someone approaching until they were right next to her. She looked up.

"Hey." the girl said. She was with a serious looking kid with weird hair. Sandra mumbled.

"Hey."

The girl sat down beside her. Her hair was bright turquoise.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm depressed." Sandra answered.

"Well don't be. It's a nice day out. Do you have a boyfriend? Go hang out with him or something."

"I can't. He doesn't know I exist." Sandra growled. The girl sighed and then to her shock, draped her arm around her shoulder.

"That's no attitude. Who is he?"

Sandra stared hard at her and sighed. "Promise you won't tell?" she asked.

"Promise."

"Okay. I am head over heels and totally fallen for Seto Kaiba."

At this, the girl's eyes widened and her face took on an almost pitying look.

"Hey, listen. I'm sorry, but you don't have much chance there." she said gently. Sandra frowned. "Why not?"

The girl sighed. "Well, that's because he's dating my older sister. She owns a flower shop a few blocks away. But it's kind of a mum's the word sort of deal, you know?"

Sandra just stared, horrified.

"So...so _she's_ the one he's seeing!?" she growled. The girl backed away quickly, suddenly freaked.

"Uh, I gotta go." she said quickly. "Come on, Daichi, I think I hit a sore spot. I'd better go warn Sonja."

"_She lied to me!_" Sandra screamed, causing passerby to stop and stare. Sandra clenched her fists, starting to stalk back to the shop. But then she stopped.

"Oh, I just got a killer idea." she cackled. "Mum's the word, eh? Hehe, I don't think so. Not when I'm through. By the time I'm done, I'll have broken them up for good!"

//ooo//

That evening, Sonja went to go drop off the monthly reports. She was sorely tempted to tell Ursula about the new arrangement. But she wasn't sure. She hated that it had to be a secret. But she knew what would happen if word got out. The media would go nuts. Besides, if there were any more lunatics like Sandra out there, she'd really be asking for trouble.

She opened the front door and stepped inside. Ursula looked up from her desk and smiled.

"Hey, Sonja." she said cheerfully.

"You look happy." Sonja remarked.

"Oh, I am. My other son, Terry and his wife are expecting a baby boy! And Sierra-May is taking horseback riding lessons."

"Congratulations. What are they going to name him?" Sonja asked.

"Well, Terry wants to name him after my late husband, Robert. But both Michelle and I agree that Robert is such an overly used name these days. Michelle wants to name him Connor and I'd like him to be Daniel."

"Both of those are cute names. I agree with you about Robert, though. I sometimes think about that, what I'll name any children I have someday."

"Yeah? And what names do you like?"

"For a girl, I always liked my mom's name, Isabelle, or Mireille. But for a boy, probably either my late brother's name Samuel, or Levi."

"Why Levi?" Ursula asked.

"I don't know. I always liked it. Where do names come from? Someone has to like them for them to be used."

"That's a good point. Now, I see you're delivering this month's reports?"

"Yeah." Sonja said. She looked away and chewed her lip. Ursula frowned and smiled slyly.

"I get the feeling there's something you'd like to tell me." she said. Sonja sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, but I need to trust you can keep it a secret." she said.

"Cross my heart and hope to live a miserable existence if I should tell." Ursula said. "Michelle made us stop using 'hope to die'. She said it would scare the children." she said, rolling her eyes.

Sonja sighed and leaned forward. Ursula turned her ear and stared at the wall, her expression going from curious to surprised to hyper and excited as she squealed and grabbed Sonja in a hug, nearly yanking her over the counter.

"Oh! I knew it! I knew it! I knew he'd finally admit it! Oh, I'm so proud of that idiot, finally showing his feelings for the first time in forever! And we owe it all to you, my dear!"

Sonja felt her face go slightly red and clutched the files closer to her chest.

"It's really not that big of a deal." she said, grinning sheepishly.

"Oh it is, Sonja! He's a rock. He's only ever serious. But then, you came into the picture and things have never been the same, since!"

"You're making it sound like a bad movie trailer." Sonja joked. Ursula clicked her tongue and got up out of her chair, hurrying over and shoving Sonja toward the elevator.

"You get up there and say hello. Don't want to give the wrong impression, now!"

"But I'm just delivering files!" Sonja protested as Ursula pushed her into the elevator and pressed the button. The doors closed and Sonja continued to stare at them, bewildered. Then, she sighed.

"Oh boy. She's like an annoying mother." she mumbled.

Sonja found him talking to someone on the phone. He nodded at her once. She went and sat down on the sofa, rummaging through the files to double check that she had everything.

Finally, he hung up the phone and sighed. Sonja raised an eyebrow.

"Irritating caller?" she asked.

"Sales manager. I really don't like this one." he grumbled.

"I understand. I get customers the same way." Sonja said. "I have this month's reports. Oh, and by the way, Ursula knows, but I swore her to secrecy."

She got up and handed him the file. Sonja looked away.

"You're not mad, are you?"

"Why would I be? Ursula's famous for forcing secrets out of people." Kaiba said, leafing through the folder. "Half of the employees here have trusted her with various secrets and as far as I know, she's not a gossip. She's just got an unstoppable desire to know everything that's going on."

Sonja laughed. "That sounds like her."

They both fell silent and Sonja turned.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading back." she said. "It's getting late and Sophie will be home, soon."

"You don't sound too thrilled."

Sonja frowned. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm a little disappointed. I told her about, well, us and then I find out she and Daichi had a date and she hasn't told me. I just felt a little upset about being kept in the dark, you know?"

She glanced at the clock.

"I'll see you later." she said.

"Right." he answered.

Back outside, Sonja yawned. It was getting pretty late and she was tired. Arika had finally gotten of the pain medication and had started moving around more. She'd insisted on taking the sofa out in the living room and giving Sonja and Sophie their room back.

Sonja locked the shop door and went upstairs. She found Arika fast asleep on the sofa and Daichi on the pullout a few feet away, also sound asleep. Sonja changed into her pajamas and went into her own room, checking on Sophie on the top bunk. She was talking in her sleep, again.

"Pizza...." she muttered. Sonja smiled and shook her head.

"You and food." she muttered. She climbed into her own bed and snuggled beneath the covers. So it had been a hectic day. She was sure that whatever could have gone wrong with Sandra wouldn't get any worse.

In the years to come, Sonja would look back and wonder how she could have been so incredibly wrong.

A/N: Again, I'm so sorry about the incredibly long length. I didn't mean to write this much in one chapter, but I couldn't help myself. (sigh) Drop me a review if you still don't mind my craziness.


	11. Frozen Time

A/N: Another big chapter. Here's where you find out just how devious Sandra really is. Lots of fluff, here.

Frozen Time

Sophie awoke to find Sonja sitting at the table reading the paper. She glanced up as she sat down and sighed.

"How come you didn't just tell me?" Sonja asked.

"Sorry. I know how you don't really like them." Sophie muttered, picking at a loose thread on her night top.

"Just because I don't like them doesn't mean I'd forbid you to date him." Sonja said. "Seriously, Sophie, you know I'm not like that."

Sophie stared at the table guiltily.

"Sorry, sis. But do you mind?"

"Do you like him?" Sonja said.

"Yeah. It's easy to talk to him and I'm the only one he talks to. We went to a movie the other day when you went out of town with Mr. Kaiba. He was nice; he didn't try any lame moves on me at all."

Sonja blinked and sighed. She lifted up a mug of tea she had sitting next to her. "I guess I don't mind, so long as he's good to you." she said. Sophie drew in a quick breath.

"So, we officially have your go-ahead?" she said.

"Yeah. Just don't overdo it." Sonja mumbled. Sophie squealed and raced around the table, enveloping her sister in a bear hug and nearly spilling the tea all over the place. Then she turned and hurried around the sofa, knocking Daichi off the pullout and effectively tickling him awake.

"Sophie! What the hell? Hey, stop it!" Daichi yelled, waking up Arika. Sophie crushed him in a hug.

"We've got Sonja's go-ahead!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, that's great, Sophie, but it's six in the morning." Daichi grumbled. But Sonja could see that he looked pretty surprised and happy. She smiled behind her mug.

Arika stumbled over to the table and sat down in front of Sonja, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"What's all that about, Sonja?" she asked.

"Your brother and my sister are officially dating." Sonja said wryly. Arika blinked and yawned again.

"And you're okay with it?" she said.

"Yeah. But if he makes her cry or anything else, he'd better be a fast runner."

Arika giggled.

"I'll make us some breakfast." she said, getting to her feet on her crutches. Sonja raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, maybe I'd better do it." she offered. "You're still waking up for one thing and your foot is still injured."

"True," Arika said, heading to the stove much more gracefully than Sonja had anticipated. "But I've been practicing."

Sonja watched anxiously as Arika took out a pan, dropped a small pat of butter into its sizzling center on the stove and went to the fridge for some eggs.

"How do you want them?" she asked.

"What can you make?" Sonja asked, a little calmer. Arika seemed pretty dextrous now.

"Sunny side up, fried, scrambled, over-easy and omelets."

"Over easy." Sonja said.

"Coming right up." Arika announced. She successfully cracked two eggs into the pan and whipped them around, obviously scrambled. She looked over at Daichi and Sophie who were sitting on the pullout talking about a new release at the theaters.

"What do you two want?" she asked.

"Fried." Sophie said.

"Scrambled, please." Daichi added.

Arika managed to finish up the scrambled eggs for Daichi and started on the fried for Sophie.

"You guys will have to come and get them. I can't carry the plates." Arika said, thumping her right crutch in emphasis. Sophie ran up and snatched the plates as Arika started two over easy eggs for herself and Sonja.

Arika put one plate down at a time on the table before setting the pan to cool in the sink and sitting down herself.

"_Itadakimasu!_" she exclaimed. Sonja smirked.

"You couldn't speak a word of Japanese when we met." she said. Arika swallowed her bite of egg.

"I took lessons in school. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get someone to teach you Japanese when you're actually in Japan. It's like they think you don't have the mental capacity to learn it just 'cause you speak English."

She took another bite and sighed.

"You're lucky you got to clear out of there so fast, before."

Sonja frowned.

"Not, I'm not. I don't consider having my home ransacked and nearly getting killed, 'lucky'."

Arika gulped and stared down at the table.

"Sorry, Sonja. I don't really know all the details. No one at the townhouse did. Nobody noticed you guys were gone until days later. They found your house totally trashed. The landlord went in and found police tape all over the place. But there was no sign of you, Sophie, your brother or your parents."

"Is that why you came out here?" Sonja asked quietly. But Sophie and Daichi had turned on the television and were engrossed in belittling some dumb kids' show.

"Yeah." Arika said. "You really don't like me, don't you?"

Sonja hesitated and then sighed.

"You're right, Arika, I don't like you. However, I believe in second chances."

Arika smiled.

"Glad to hear that. Because I've got a lot of redeeming to do."

She took their plates and got up, hobbling over to the sink and dumping them in.

//ooo//

Sonja sat downstairs in the shop typing on her computer and waiting. For some reason, Sandra hadn't shown up to work that day and Sonja didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

She looked up when the door opened and smiled.

"Good morning," she said. It was a woman with a camera around her neck. Probably a tourist.

"Good morning, Miss Gavens," the woman said curtly. "My name is Sandy Gordon and I'm from the Domino Press. May I ask you a few questions?"

Sonja frowned.

"Uh, no. I'd rather not be interviewed for...whatever it is you're interviewing for. What is it?"

Sandy cleared her throat.

"I've received word from an anonymous source that you are a secret significant other in Seto Kaiba's life. Is that true?" she asked, whipping out a notepad. Sonja froze and got that deer-in-the-headlight feeling.

"Is that a yes?" Sandy asked as a man came inside the shop, also carrying a camera. Sandy turned and scowled.

"Hey, beat it Randy, this is my scoop." she snapped.

"Who the heck do you think told you about it? It's mine!" The guy said. "Hey, Sonja, remember me? We met at the Muggs trial five years ago! Hey, is it true that you and Seto Kaiba are secretly dating?"

Sonja slid off the stool and backed into the file cabinet as they came closer, even as yet another woman came inside. Sonja didn't need a hint of who this one was.

"Excuse me!" she called. "My name is Alana Kesler and I was hoping I could get an interview! Sonja, over here!"

Sonja shook her head. No way! She thought. Who could have told? How did it get out? It had only been a couple of days! _How did it get out!? _

"Sonja, just a quick interview! How long has this been going on?"

"Is it true that this so-called affair has lasted since the trial of Allan Muggs five years ago?"

Sonja shoved past them and hurried out the door. She groaned. Another car was pulling up and two people got out, this time with a TV camera.

"Hey!" the woman called from the driver's seat. "Miss. Gavens, please, over here!" she yelled. "Ty, turn on the camera, hurry!" she snapped. Sonja whirled and ran to the stairs, trying to get back inside and to the safety of her room.

"Wait!"

Sonja yelled as someone grabbed her arm. It was Randy what's-his-name. Sonja yanked her arm back, trying to pry herself free.

"Just hold on, I'm your side!" Randy said as he took his camera out. Sonja kicked him in the shin, causing him to drop the camera where it bounced down the stairs into a jagged heap on the sidewalk. Randy scowled.

"Hey, now that was uncalled for!" he snapped. But Sonja had already fled upstairs and slammed and locked the door. Sandy sighed.

"Okay, so what do we do now? I mean, this is the biggest story of the month."

"We'll just report from here," the news woman said. "She has to come out at some point."

But she turned when the upstairs window opened and Sonja appeared. She had the broken toaster in her hands and scowled down at them.

"Bombs away, you rats!" she yelled. She hurled the toaster down onto the TV camera, knocking it over.

"Hey!" Ty yelled. Sandy rushed forward and attempted to shoot a picture, but Sonja had already shut the window and pulled the blinds over. She sank down to the floor with a sigh as Arika hobbled over concernedly.

"Sonja, what the heck is going on out there?" she asked. Over on the sofa, Sophie glanced nervously at Daichi and shrunk down out of sight.

"Somehow the media found out Seto and I are dating. Now they're turning it into a side-street scandal. I don't know what to do. I was sure I'd been so careful in keeping this a secret. Seto's gonna be livid when he finds out."

She and Arika jumped when Sophie wailed, leapt over the back of the sofa and threw herself at Sonja, hugging her and sobbing hysterically.

"I'm sorry, sis! I'm sorry!"

"Sophie, what-?"

"I met some weird girl on the street who said she had a crush on him! I told her she didn't have much chance because he was dating my older sister! She must have put two and two together and told the press! I'm sorry!"

Sonja frowned and gently pushed Sophie back. She stared hard into her eyes.

"Sophie, what did this girl look like?" she asked.

"Bright red hair and a crazy, mismatched outfit. She said she was head over heels and fallen for him, so I told her her chances." Sophie sniffled. Sonja collapsed back against the wall with a groan.

"Sandra." she hissed.

"Huh?" Sophie muttered.

"You hadn't met her, yet. My new employee who demanded a job because of her crush on him. I knew she was obsessed, but I had no idea she was fanatical. It's not your fault, Sophie. If Sandra were a normal girl, there wouldn't have been a problem. But as it is, Sandra's a lunatic and now, we've got problems. I'd better call Seto."

She froze when she heard the distinct sound of a camera shutter outside the window and she turned. Sandy grinned and waved at her but screamed when Sonja picked up a chair and made to run at the door with it. It was just a bluff of course. She put it down quickly before Sandy could get a shot and spread the word that Sonja was an insane nut, as well. Then she ran forward and pulled the blinds down over the window, too.

She went to the phone and dialed. After getting put through, she relaxed a bit when she heard his voice. It didn't sound as though he knew about it, yet, but it was only a mater of time.

"Seto, we've got trouble."

"_What's wrong?_"

"Oh, nothing really, just that our secret wasn't as well kept as we thought." Sonja muttered.

_"I don't like the sound of that. Are you saying that it's out?" _

"Yup." Sonja said, listening to another car pulling up outside. "Somehow, Sandra found out and told the press. They're swarming my shop. I'm stuck inside the apartment."

_"Hang on, I'll be right there." _

"No! Wait!" Sonja exclaimed. "What are you going to do?"

_"Just pack some things for you and Sophie. Daichi and Arika should be fine, but I'm coming over to get you two. Go up onto the roof and wait." _

Sonja frowned and then slapped a hand over her eyes.

"Please tell me you're not!" she said. "That'll only make things worse!"

_"Can you think of another way?" _

Sonja sighed heavily. "No." she admitted. "Fine, I'll go up there."

She hung up and turned to Sophie. "Go pack us an overnight bag. Daichi and Arika, I've got an of idea what he plans to do, so I'm counting on you two to hold down the fort."

"Right." Arika said. "Make sure to take that green suitcase, though."

"I don't know if-"

"Right!" Sophie interjected before Sonja could refuse. Sonja sighed and sat down at the table.

Sophie came back out a few minutes later with two bags. One had their clothes and necessities, the other was the green case. Sonja took them up to the roof while Sophie said bye to Arika and Daichi. Then she joined her sister on the roof to wait. Sonja crept over the to the side and peeked over. They were still milling around outside and now, there were more of them. She sighed and sat back, away from their view.

A sudden wind began to pick up and Sonja brushed her hair from her face. But as the wind grew stronger, she grimaced and looked up.

"Idiot." she muttered. It was one of KaibaCorp's helicopters. It was slowly coming to a landing on the roof, turning so the door faced away from the street. Everyone below began to cause a commotion when they realized that their quarry was making a getaway.

The chopper came to a landing and the door opened. Kaiba jumped out and hurried over.

"You all right?" he asked them.

"Yeah, except for the fact that now the whole city knows." Sonja mumbled.

"How else was I supposed to get you out of here without risking a shot?" he asked. She turned to pick up a bag as Sophie climbed in with the other. She frowned at him.

"This will just make things a heck of a lot worse." she said. Her expression softened. "But I really appreciate it."

She was sure she saw him smile for a second before gently pushing her toward the aircraft. She got inside beside Sophie as Kaiba jumped in and shut the door. The helicopter lifted into the air and Sophie pressed her face against the window. Arika and Daichi were watching them go from the apartment window. Arika shot them a thumbs up sign while Daichi just stared. Sophie waved sadly and turned away.

"I'm really sorry, sis." she said.

"It's okay. I should have introduced you to Sandra before this happened. Besides, it was bound to get out sooner or later." she said, glancing at Kaiba. He nodded once.

"So what happens now?" Sonja asked. "We can't go back to the shop until all of this cools down and who knows how long that'll take."

"In the meantime," Kaiba said, "The two of you are going to stay with us until this whole mess blows over."

The flight back to where the brothers lived was short and uneventful. Kaiba explained that the heavy security system protecting the grounds would stop any and all intruders.

The chopper landed outside and Kaiba gave the pilot instructions to return to the headquarters. Mokuba was waiting outside the mansion for them.

"Hey guys," he said when he saw them. "Seto called and told me what happened."

Sophie started whimpering and Mokuba punched her gently on the shoulder.

"Hey, it's fine, Sophie. 'Cause now, it's sleepover and horror movies!" he exclaimed. Sophie started giggling. Kaiba rolled his eyes. He glanced at Sonja.

"Wasn't it you who said they were born to be best friends?" he muttered. She smiled wearily.

"Yeah, something like that." she said.

The inside was pretty simple in all actuality. There was a small wooden table beside the door with a landscape hanging over it. Potted plants sat tastefully in the corners and directly in front of the door were stairs leading to the upper floor. Mokuba grabbed Sophie's hand and dragged her away, saying something about a cool new gaming system Kaiba had been designing. This left Sonja just standing with the green bag, staring at the floor.

"Come on." Kaiba said. "I asked Mokuba to make sure the guest rooms were ready."

He took her case from her and Sonja started to protest, but fell quiet.

"Right." she said. She followed him upstairs and down the hall toward a door on the end.

He opened the door and set the case inside. The room, like the downstairs, was very simple. A mahogany dresser sat against the wall closest to the window. There was a desk opposite the four-poster bed in the corner. Sonja stepped inside and then turned to say something, but stopped.

"Sonja," Kaiba said, approaching carefully. "It isn't your fault. This was bound to happen. We both knew the possible consequences."

"Yeah, but I'm causing all of this trouble. Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

He put both hands on her shoulders, staring her right in the eye seriously.

"Is that any attitude? Sonja, you're stronger than that. As long as you're here, there's no way for anything to happen."

Sonja nodded. "Yeah, you're right. If we're serious about this, it'll work itself out."

Kaiba nodded, almost smiling and stepped back.

"Exactly. Now, come on. I need to show you a few things." he said.

He led her back outside and around the house toward the backyard. Sonja stared around at the scrambled foliage surrounding the grounds.

"Why are the plants all like this?" she asked.

"Our groundskeeper quit suddenly and I haven't had time to look for a new one."

"Well, while I'm here, how about I give it a shot?" she asked. He turned and stared at her in disbelief.

"Sonja, this estate is enormous. It'd take you months." he said.

"Seto, if I'm going to be here for as long as it takes for the media to get bored, I'll need something to do or I'll go crazy." Sonja argued. "Besides, I'm good with plants."

Kaiba sighed and studied the bushes closest to them. He frowned and turned back to her.

"If that's what you want to do, go for it." he said. "Everything you'll need is in the gardener's shed out back."

Sonja smiled. "Thanks! You won't be sorry!" she exclaimed. Already she was feeling better. As Kaiba led her to the first of the things she needed to see, he realized a small sense of satisfaction at that smile.

He stopped deep within the grounds in a small grove of trees lining to walls.

"I need you to remember this spot." he said. "If you're ever in trouble outside working, come here."

"Why's that?" Sonja asked. "This place isn't really sheltered."

Kaiba knelt down and scraped around through the grass until he found what he was looking for. A triangular handle.

"This," he said, "Is an emergency escape route I had installed. But it can also be used as a means of getting into the house undetected."

He got a firm hold on it and tugged backward. A chain erupted out of the ground, attached to a fake piece of earth. Sonja jumped back as an entire section of ground gave rise to reveal an underground passageway. Kaiba held the door up and gestured for her to descend. Sonja jumped down into the hole and stepped back while he carefully lowered the door. Before all light was lost, he stopped.

"Give me your hand. There are two corridors down here and one of them is for maintenance workers. It leads into the pipework. If you go down that way, you'll fall into the pits that were dug for the pipes. The other corridor leads to the house."

Ignoring the wild beating of her heart, Sonja took his hand as he let the door fall with a muffled thudding sound. Total blackness swallowed them and Sonja immediately felt panic rise up in her chest. Instinctively, she moved closer to him, terrified.

"Relax," he said quietly, almost comfortingly. "The hard part is actually over. The floor is all concrete so there's nothing to trip over. Just follow the wall to the left and you'll stay in the passage leading to the house.

He started forward on a clearly familiar path. Sonja followed quietly, calming herself down. Traversing this path was horrifying even with someone who knew it by heart. She hoped she'd never have to use it.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just a little freaked out." she replied. Their voices echoed off the concrete walls.

"Just a little further." he said. "The passage leads up into a hidden panel behind a wall in the front room. The wall slides on its hinges and is weak, so it can be broken through if absolutely necessary."

When he stopped suddenly, Sonja waited with baited breath. She heard him moving around and a low thud. He growled under his breath.

"I always forget how low the ceiling is, here." he snarled. Sonja started giggling.

There was a sharp cracking sound and a sliver of light suddenly appeared. Kaiba gave the wooden ceiling one final shove and she heard it smack against the wall. He climbed out and then reached back in the help her. Once they were both out of the passageway, Kaiba closed the wooden hatch and stood up. They were in a narrow hallway behind the actual wall and light filtered in between cracks in the plaster. Kaiba felt around the wall for the handle jutting out that signaled the start of the fake door. He slid it open and Sonja found that they were back inside the mansion. She stepped out and Kaiba slid the wall back into place.

"So," he said. "If you're ever in trouble while outside, you now know where to go to reach safety." he told her. "But there's one more thing you need to know about."

This time, he led her to the library. In the far back of the room was a single bookshelf sitting against the wall. He reached up to take down a book called, _A History of Aztec Farming_. But as he removed it from the shelf, the book case next to it suddenly slid away to reveal a hidden doorway.

"That's a fake book, Sonja. Always remember to choose that one. In fact, none of these books on this shelf are real. Choose the wrong one and an alarm goes off, alerting everyone in the house of an intruder."

He stepped up close to the other wall. Sonja watched as A tiny pinprick of light scanned his eye and the door opened. Kaiba stepped back.

"Every pair of eyes is different." he explained. "Only a few people are registered in this system. You and Sophie will be included. Roland, Mokuba and myself are the others."

Sonja nodded. Kaiba proceeded into the hidden room.

"Woah," Sonja exclaimed. "It's like something you'd see in the movies, only cooler."

The entire inside room was a hidden computer terminal. Three screens portrayed different information regarding security cameras and data banks.

"Did you build all of this?" Sonja asked.

"Yeah. Took a long time, but it was worth it. Only a few people know about it and I'll show you why."

He flipped a switch and powered the computer on. His company's logo flashed on the screen in a spiraling array of blues. Then, an artificial voice spoke out.

"_Running identity verification protocol, please state your name." _

"Seto Kaiba." Kaiba said. The computer resumed booting up and then the logo appeared again, this time as a background.

"_So what's the deal this time? You broke into your own house again? Are you just getting bored or is someone trying to get you two again?" _

Sonja yelled and backed up. She'd expected something out of the ordinary, but for this computer to be talking like a living being was way too weird.

_"Who's there?" _

"To answer your questions before, it's neither," Kaiba said. "In fact, I'd like to register another person for a server in this terminal."

_"Oh really? Well, you could have at least given me a two hour warning. I could have spent some time cleaning the place up." _

Kaiba rolled his eyes and turned to Sonja.

"Do you understand now why I keep this a secret?" he asked her. She slowly came forward. She nodded.

"Yeah. It's artificial intelligence, isn't it?" she said. "It can think and act on its own."

"Precisely. The details of this terminal's construction were kept highly classified and then destroyed after its completion. I don't intend to release this information to the public."

_"And with good reason. Now, who's this new person I'm hearing?" _

"This is Sonja Gavens." Kaiba said. "I'm going to set up a server on this system for her in case of emergency.

_"Any particular reason?" _

Kaiba didn't say anything. Sonja just listened, too stunned by the whole thing to tell the difference.

_"Fine, fine, keep your secrets. Loading new administrator files...accessing systematic data banks...backing up server functions...All right, you now have access to the second server by means of identification protocol." _

Kaiba looked over at Sonja and motioned her closer.

"If you're ever in serious trouble, come in here. These walls are highly fortified and since the last time someone broke in, I've doubled security in here. The doors are on powerful magnetic locks that can only be opened by the eye scanner."

Sonja nodded. "Right. I'll remember the correct book, too."

"_So, I just registered you. How about saying something?" _

"Uh," Sonja said. "Hi. I'm Sonja."

_"I'm-well I don't actually have a name. I call myself A.I. Obviously, it's the abbreviation for artificial intelligence. But you get the idea." _

"Moving right along." Kaiba said. He shut down the computer and pulled Sonja out of the terminal, closing the secret hatch the same way he'd opened it.

"That's pretty much it." he said. "If you can just remember all of that, you'll be perfectly safe. Even if someone managed to get through the security, you have the tunnel and in the slimmest of chances they follow you down it, there's no conceivable way they'll get into that terminal."

"Thanks." Sonja said. "But what about you? Won't they bother you?"

He smirked. "That's what I hired people to screen calls for." he said. He went and sat down at his desk and Sonja was about to leave when she stopped and stared at a book on the shelf.

"Um, is it okay if...?" she mumbled, gesturing toward the books. Kaiba glanced up and she could have sworn he seemed amused.

"Help yourself. That's what they're there for." he said. "Just remember which ones are fake books planted to set of the alarm." he warned.

"Don't worry, I'm a quick study." Sonja said. She pulled the book off the shelf and leafed through it. It was actually a book on gardening. Kaiba watched her for a moment. He was surprised. This was the one time he'd seen her as peaceful as she was asleep when she was awake. He wasn't sure why, but he got a sense of calm as he watched her read. Crazy as it was, that peaceful aura was contagious.

"Why don't you sit down and read it?" he offered. Sonja hesitated. It was clear she felt pretty out of place.

"But, won't I be bothering you? You work at home, here, right?"

Kaiba actually smiled and shook his head.

"Believe me, Sonja, Mokuba is ten times as obnoxious as you are. I've seen Haley's comet more times than I've seen you being bothersome."

Sonja had to smile at that.

"I guess I'll take you up on that." she said. She sat down on the couch several feet away from the desk and opened the book. Immediately, she was dead to the world as she studied it.

Kaiba booted up his computer, finding it hard to not just watch her read. He couldn't believe how easy it was to be with her. So what if everything had changed, it just felt so natural. It was like he'd always known how to be with her. It was very peaceful.

Outside the door, Mokuba and Sophie peeked through an opening in the frame. Mokuba gave Sophie a thumbs up. They scurried away from the door before Kaiba noticed.

"I'm kinda glad Sandra squealed." Mokuba said as he and Sophie headed outside. "For one thing, I get to have my best friend around 24/7 and those two get to have a little time to themselves. I've never been so proud of that thick-headed brother of mine." he said smugly.

"Oh come on, I'm sure he's dated someone before." Sophie said. Mokuba shook his head.

"Nope. Seto's either been too involved with work or uninterested. Sonja's the first one to get even this close to him. I just hope it lasts." he said worriedly.

"It will. I've never seen Sonja as calm and happy as she is. She used to be jittery every single day, taking naps to get away from the nervousness that came with growing up under Allan's thumb. She took the brunt of his cruelty and it left its mark on her psyche. But I really believe that your brother is able to pull her back to normal. Besides, have you ever seen a more well-matched couple?"

Mokuba stopped to think, chewing his lip.

"You know, now that I think of it, I haven't." he admitted. Sophie winked.

"Exactly. Now, do you know the rules to Rugby?"

//ooo//

The sun was beginning to set. Kaiba rubbed his tired eyes and sighed, shutting down his computer. He was well-ahead of the game and felt it was all right to take a rest.

When he glanced up at Sonja, he was surprised to see her asleep sitting up, halfway through the book. It was no wonder she was so tired. All of this had to be stressful on her. As strong as she acted, he knew how fake it was. In reality, her mind and body were quite frail. Anyone who didn't know it was her natural hair color would have believed her hair had turned white from all the horrors she'd seen in her past years. But perhaps it was this that had brought them into each others' lives. Similar souls seeking another who could understand.

He got up quietly and carefully made his way over. It had gotten cold in the room. He took off his coat and gently laid it over her. He sat down beside her and sighed, watching the sun slowly set through the window behind his desk.

After awhile, when he felt as though he was about to doze off himself, he noticed her stirring out of the corner of his eye. She sat up and yawned.

"Oh, jeez, did I fall asleep?" she muttered. She noticed the coat and frowned. "Huh?"

Then she noticed he was sitting next to her and froze.

"Oh. Um, did you give me this?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. It-It got pretty cold in here. I figured it might help." he said, looking away. He took his coat and set it beside him. He continued to stare out the window. The sun had long since set and he'd been killing time searching the skies for shooting stars for the heck of it. Except for the moonlight drifting in, it was almost pitch black. Sonja shivered.

"Are you still cold?" he asked.

"No. I'm just...uh, never mind." Sonja said quickly. She started to pick at one of her nails.

"Hey," she said. "I'm really sorry for letting Sandra take this out of hand. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

"You didn't." Kaiba said. "Mokuba hasn't had a friend over before, so he's pretty excited. And it's a different experience for me, too."

"But still," she mumbled. But she didn't continue that sentence. She looked up at him. "I just feel like I caused too much trouble."

But as he met her gaze, something happened. It'd be cliché to call it a spark, but to put it frankly, that's what it was.

"You're not causing trouble." he said.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm positive."

As though by some unseen force pushing them, they found themselves drawing nearer to the other, almost so that their lips touched in one, frozen moment of time. For the moment, everything was blank.

Then Sonja suddenly pulled away with a sharp intake of breath. Kaiba stared hard at a speck of dust floating in the air.

"Um...," Sonja mumbled. "I'm going to go get some sleep."

And with that, she was up and out of the room. Kaiba stared after her for a moment, trying to process what had just almost happened.

They'd almost kissed. For real. Even though he'd always told himself this could never happen to him, he'd been there in that surreal moment, totally aware of her presence and then suddenly, she'd suddenly pulled away and he'd gotten his senses back.

He frowned at the floor. His heart was hammering in his chest. He couldn't explain it. What had happened? How had it happened? And what had gone wrong?

//ooo//

Sonja sat against the wall by the window in the guest room, shaking. She kept shaking her head, resisting the urge to cry in fear. What had gone so wrong? This had been something she'd wanted. She knew she loved him, so why'd she have to see the faces of those...those horrid demons' faces? The faces of those stoned druggies who'd chosen her over Allan's stock of drug supply. The ones who raped her, a little girl at the time, who stole everything she had left. She'd been sure she'd banished them to the deepest reaches of her memory. So why'd they come back to her after all these years just when she'd found someone she actually wanted to be with?

"It doesn't make any sense." she sobbed. She dug her nails into her scalp, squeezing her eyes shut. "Why? Why won't you go away? Why can't you leave me alone?" she begged to an unseen devilish entity. But behind her closed lids, Allan's horrid face just sneered back at her and she snapped her eyes open.

"Just leave me alone." she whimpered. "Leave me alone."

Mokuba found his brother engrossed in a book at his desk, looking somewhat disturbed and anxious. When Kaiba just shook his head at his questions, Mokuba knew something was very wrong.

He immediately went to check on Sonja, since Sophie had decided to sneak back to the apartment to get some things she'd left behind. He found Sonja hunched against the wall, crying softly.

"Sonja?" he said. She snapped her head up, staring at him wildly. He recoiled at the sight of her eyes, vacant of all emotions but fear, hatred and fury.

"No!" she exclaimed, backing up against the wall. "Leave me alone!"

"Sonja, it's me, Mokuba!" he said. "Remember?"

What Mokuba didn't know was that Sonja had fallen asleep and was having one of her night terrors. Sophie hadn't explained to him what these were and how messed up Sonja really was thanks to Allan's torturous lifestyle he'd forced her into. If Sophie had explained these things to him, he'd have known to keep his distance in case she got violent. Her terrors made her virtually unpredictable. She'd even lashed out at her own sister on several occasions. Unfortunately, Mokuba had no idea of this.

Instead, he carefully embraced her comfortingly.

"It's okay, Sonja." he said. "It's me, Mokuba. You know who I am." he said, speaking soothingly.

Breathing shakily, Sonja seemed to be waking up slightly.

"M-Mokuba?" she whispered.

"That's it. You gonna be okay?" he asked, pulling away and smiling warmly at her. Sonja took deep, ragged breaths.

"I don't know. Allan, he's, he's everywhere!"

"No, Sonja, he's miles away. He's locked up good and tight. Remember? Seto saw to that. Allan's never gonna get out again."

"He's locked away." Sonja repeated. She stood up and leaned against the window, staring out the backyard below. "That's right. He is locked away."

Mokuba stood up and sighed.

"Get some sleep, Sonja." he said.

"Right." she said quickly. "I need some sleep."

Mokuba left the room and closed the door. That had been kind of scary. Sonja hadn't been acting like herself at all. He made a mental note to talk to Sophie about it later.

Meanwhile, Kaiba sat at his desk, leaning on his hand covering half of his face as he stared into the darkness. Something was still wrong with Sonja. He wasn't sure what, or how he knew, but he just knew. He was absolutely sure that he loved her and what he wanted most at the moment was to be able to help in any way, to be able to protect her from these demons that continued to plague her existence. But if she wouldn't tell him what was wrong, how _could_ he help?

He hated to admit it, but for the first time in his life that he could remember, he was totally powerless.

A/N: Aren't I horrible? I lead you all into believing that they're finally going to kiss and then I freak Sonja out. You gotta remember that she's pretty messed up thanks to Allan. Jeez, I hate that guy.


	12. Hazy Days of Winter

A/N: Bit of a surprise with this new chapter. Now, I've a favor to ask of all of you. If you read this and decide to review, I need as much advice as you can give. Ideas, criticism, anything. Every little bit helps even if it doesn't get added right away. I hate the idea of having to end this story one day and I want to make this as enjoyable for both me and you as possible.

Hazy Days of Winter

The snow wasn't coming down on time. Sonja, bored out of her mind and unwilling to face Kaiba after what happened the night before, went outside to find the gardener's shed and get the supplies to work on the hedges. She found it unlocked on the edge of the grounds and opened it. Inside were hedge clippers, mulch, flower seeds and various other gardening tools. She found a large paper recycling bag and dragged it, plus a little hand rake out of the shed. She made her way over to one corner of the grounds and started working on the weeds.

From the home office window, Kaiba watched as Sonja continued to grab weeds and yank so hard on them that when they snapped free, she'd fall backwards. He still wasn't sure what had happened to her the night before. He wasn't sure what had happened to him, either for that matter. All he was sure of was that he was gravely concerned.

When he looked out the window again, Sonja had stopped weeding. She was just sitting there, staring up at the trees. When he looked more closely, he understood why she'd stopped. It seemed the weather forecast was wrong; it was beginning to snow. He saw her shoulders sag and then she stood up, picking up the gardening supplies and putting them back inside the shed.

Then she headed back to the house.

Kaiba had barely seen her since the incident the night before. Mokuba had told him what happened after having Sophie explain what was going on with Sonja. Even though Mokuba hadn't acted correctly in view of his own safety, he'd managed to calm her down enough so that she slept normally for the rest of the night. Sophie had seemed concerned about this whole thing, but she eventually shrugged it off.

"Sometimes I take care of her more than she takes care of me," Sophie had said.

That had really disturbed Kaiba. Sonja had spent so long just surviving that her entire outlook was wrong. Sophie hadn't been able to find out what had upset Sonja (and he hadn't told her about the incident, as he preferred to call it) so he still didn't know.

When he looked out the window again, it was coming down heavily. But even if Sonja had still been outside, it'd be difficult to spot her. She'd chosen to wear white that day and her hair just helped her blend in further.

He sighed and folded his arms, staring blankly at the computer screen. He just couldn't concentrate. He had too much on his mind as it was.

He went downstairs to try to find Mokuba and stopped. Someone was standing down on the floor and opening the front door. He didn't recognize who it was and frowned.

"Hey!" he yelled. The person turned and he froze.

It was Sonja, wearing a light brown wig. The wig reached her shoulders and changed the shape of her face, but those eyes were unmistakable for someone who knew her well enough. She blinked.

"What? I was going for a walk." she said. She saw he was staring at the wig. "Oh, this? I bought it months ago. I figured that if even you can't recognize me, I'm safe from the reporters."

Kaiba relaxed a bit. She started out.

"Sonja," he said, reaching the ground floor. She paused and turned halfway.

"Hm?"

"Be careful." he said at last. Sonja looked down at the floor and them smiled slightly at him.

"Right." she said. She stepped outside and soon disappeared in the snow. The door closed behind her.

Kaiba stared at the painting above the table next to the door. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was trying to create a rift.

//ooo//

Sonja wandered back into the city, a good twenty minutes away. She was already frozen and was tempted to go into her apartment when she passed her shop. Unfortunately, there were still reporters milling around inside. She glanced at her reflection in the window of the shop opposite hers and grinned slyly. She barely recognized herself. Perhaps she could fool them. The snow wasn't that deep, so even if they did, she could outrun them and easily blend in with it. She hurriedly crossed the street and pushed open the door.

"Whew! It's like an ice age out there!" she exclaimed, brushing snow from the wig. The scarf she was wearing masked her voice, as well. The reporters stranded in the shop studied her but soon turned away. Sonja resisted the urge to laugh. They didn't recognize her. She pushed her way to the counter and pretended to stare at the collection of ornate bookmarks in the glass case in the front of the desk. Sandra was there and looking quite haggard. Sonja felt no remorse for abandoning her to this job by herself, since it was her own fault she ended up this way to begin with. If she hadn't told the media about them, Sonja wouldn't have been forced into hiding.

"Can I help you?" Sandra asked wearily. Sonja straightened up.

"Yes. Why is it so crowded in here?" Sonja asked, glancing at the reporters. Sandra sighed.

"Oh, that. The owner of this shop is dating Seto Kaiba and they all want interviews. I tried to tell them that they broke up because of me, but they won't believe me. Now Sonja's disappeared and I'm at my wits' end with all the orders!"

"Why don't you just quit? I thought-Sonja, was it? Right. I thought Sonja had a sister who could manage the shop."

"She does. But both her and her sister have disappeared. The only ones remaining are the two idiots upstairs. Besides, I can't quit."

"How come?" Sonja asked, genuinely curious.

"Because Seto might come back and because I really do need this job." Sandra whined. She plunked her head down on the counter. "So what if I'm only getting paid five bucks an hour? I still need the money."

"Can you ask for a raise?" Sonja asked, frowning.

"No."

"Why not?"

"_Because I can't do a blessed thing right!_" Sandra yelled, making everyone stare at her. She sighed. "I can't mop floors, I can't sweep the sidewalk, I wilt flowers as soon as I touch them and I've broken enough vases to open a pottery store. And to top it off, Seto _still _doesn't notice me. He still likes Sonja."

Sandra looked so sullen and unhappy that Sonja actually felt sorry for her. She felt bad for how she'd treated her the past several days. She had to remind herself that Sandra was still just a kid. She didn't know anything about the world. Sonja leaned over the counter.

"Keep your chin up, Sandra." Sonja whispered encouragingly. "Soon, this mess will wear off and Sonja will come back. Maybe she'll consider giving you a raise if you spend your time practicing what you aren't very good at."

Sandra stared at her disbelievingly and suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise. But by this time, Sonja was already pushing her way out of the store and into the snowy sidewalk. Sandra opened her mouth to yell that it was her, but then she stopped. She blinked and hummed.

"Maybe you're right." she mumbled.

//ooo//

Sonja stood outside in the backyard watching the snow fall down. She kept going back to what had almost happened. She was ashamed of how scared she'd been just by seeing something in her head that wasn't real. But no matter how much thought she put into it, the answer was always the same; she loved him, but she was still afraid of Allan.

"Why can't I sort these things out?"

She sighed and stared at the snow falling around her. She stood on the walkway running through the yard, so it wasn't piling up as fast.

"Sonja."

Sonja jumped and froze. She slowly turned as Kaiba approached. Sonja quickly looked away.

"Hey." she said quietly.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked. Sonja couldn't meet his eyes.

"I haven't been avoiding you, I just...I just wanted to be alone for a while."

Neither of them spoke. Kaiba stared ahead, watching the snow fall. He frowned and shuddered.

"Come on," he said. "Lets' go back inside before we freeze."

Sonja looked up at him sadly.

"No, I'll stay out here." she said. He sighed.

"Sonja, there's no point in punishing yourself. Besides, creating a rift between us isn't going to work."

And with that, he turned and started back toward the house. Sonja stared after him and then shivered as a gust of wind whipped up the snow around her. She turned and followed the way he'd gone as it started to snow harder. She jumped when she suddenly accidentally walked into him standing there.

"I thought you left already!" she exclaimed. He didn't say anything. He just shook the snow out of his hair and continued toward the house. Sonja still felt uncomfortable after the incident, but she followed him anyway.

Inside the front door, Sonja removed her scarf and folded it, sighing at the rush of fresh air from the lack of the suffocating item.

"I'm sorry about...well, you know." Sonja said.

"I'll be awake for a while." Kaiba replied. He headed toward the library. Sonja smiled because in his jargon, that meant "If you want to talk about it, you know where to find me", or something like that.

The thing was, she did want to talk about it. But she wasn't sure. She wanted to be sure that if she really loved him, that she could be rid of Allan and his druggies once and for all.

Sonja sighed. She just didn't know what to do. She decided to try to find Sophie.

Even as she was heading upstairs, she heard the familiar clomping of Sophie's shoes and looked up. Sophie stood halfway up the stairs in heavy winter clothing and watching her. When she saw her sister's face, she sighed.

"I see you're not doing so hot." She said carefully. She descended the rest of the way until she was standing in front of Sonja.

"No," Sonja answered. "I'm really not."

Sophie frowned thoughtfully. Then she smiled.

"Sis, just remember that you control your own life, now." she said. And with that, she headed outside. Sonja stared after her, bewildered. Yes, it was her own life, now. But still, Sophie never experienced Allan's truest of natures. Sonja had made sure to shield her from everything.

She finally decided that she did want to talk to Kaiba. She wanted to clear this whole mess up.

She found him reading something on his computer. He glanced up when she opened the door. Even though neither of them said anything, Sonja closed the door and went and sat down on the sofa, staring at the floor. Kaiba shut the screen on his computer.

"Did you need something?" he asked. Sonja hesitated and then nodded.

"Yeah."

"What is it?" Kaiba asked, sensing that Sonja was treading on dangerous personal ground. He'd known something had been bothering her, but in the years he'd known her, he'd long since learned that she'd come forward with her own thoughts faster than if you tried to pry them out. It just took patience. She was still learning that she could talk about what was going on without fear of reprimanding from anyone, especially Allan. She was still just getting used to freedom. Kaiba personally wanted to dispatch Allan from his miserable existence for ruining Sonja as both a person and a human being. When he'd met her, her hostile appearance was just a cover for how scared she really was and still was to this day. She just couldn't seem to accept that Allan was gone from her life for good.

"I figure I should explain." Sonja said. "It isn't just Allan I'm haunted by, it's also the creeps who bought his stock. You already know what happened to me, so I'll just skip that. But I still see their faces. I don't know why, but that's what happened." Sonja said.

Sonja looked down at the floor.

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"I never said I did." he replied. He got up and went over to sit next to her. Sonja continued to stare intently at the floor.

"Sonja," he said. She didn't move. "Sonja, look at me."

She reluctantly met his gaze.

"Listen," he said. "This sounds harsh, but what happened to you is over. For your own future, you have to try to forget it for good."

"I know. I'm trying, I really am. But I can't seem to help it. I can't get rid of the shadow Allan left."

Kaiba sighed and stared out the window.

"How about...," he muttered. " Well, what if you could go back and face your past firsthand."

Sonja titled her head in confusion.

"How would I do that?"

Kaiba appeared pensive. He looked back at her.

"I'm going to arrange a trip." he said. He got up and went over to his desk and sat down.

"A trip?" Sonja said. He nodded.

"Yeah."

"To where?"

Kaiba glanced at her briefly and resumed typing.

"Where else? To Nara." he answered. Sonja's eyes widened.

"Nara? Japan? But why?"

Kaiba stared hard at her. "Because I'm worried about you, Sonja. My personal opinion is that to face your fears, you have to go to their source."

"My old home," Sonja muttered. "The one place I swore I'd never go back to. The old apartment complex. The neighborhood where I grew up."

Kaiba watched her carefully. She was getting herself worked up again. Again, he got up and went to sit beside her, pulling her close. He could feel her heartbeat against him. She was surprisingly warm. She leaned into his embrace and held onto him both for support and reassurance.

"You're not alone, anymore, Sonja." he said. _Neither of us are._

//ooo//

Kaiba had told Sonja that she could spend time in the library whenever she needed to. There were so many books in there that Sonja often spent hours just reading. One day she learned how to wax maple syrup and gave it go. Sophie ended up loving it so much that she ate all of it by herself. Another time, she learned how to make snow sculptures. Kaiba came home one day to find the front yards free of snow and a giant fairy-tale type dragon sitting in one corner of the yard. Sonja sat next to it, fast asleep from her efforts. Exactly how she'd pulled that off in just one day remained a mystery.

Sonja felt most at peace reading. She often became so engrossed that Mokuba and Sophie made it a game to see who could get her attention and Kaiba found it both endlessly annoying and amusing all at once.

About a week after Sonja and Sophie had come to stay with them, Sonja was choosing another book while Kaiba had run to the office to print something. His home printer had run out of toner again. Suddenly, the computer made a funny beeping noise like you'd hear from a cartoon. Sonja frowned and went over to investigate. She heard someone's voice.

"_Hello? Is anyone there? Hello-o-o?" _

Sonja got in front of the web cam to see a man in the video frame. He had long silver hair and wore an outfit that suddenly reminded her of Zigfried. The man blinked.

_"Hello, and who might you be?" _ he asked.

"Um, hi. Who are you?" she asked him.

"_Hey, I asked first. I am Maximilian Pegasus." _

"Hey! You're the one who created Duel Monsters!" Sonja said.

"_That's right! So nice to meet a fan. Do you duel?" _

"Well no, to be honest. I mean, I have. But I'm not all that good. I'm nothing compared to Seto, anyway."

"_Oh, so you're familiar with Kaiba-boy." _

"Huh?" Sonja said. Pegasus giggled.

"_A little pet-name I've called him for years." _he said. _ "So, who might you be?" _

"My name is Sonja." she answered. Recognition went up on his face and he frowned.

"_Ah! I read about you. Let me guess, someone squealed on your little budding romance with the country's "Less likely to settle down" person ever and now you're in hiding." _

Sonja's jaw dropped.

"Woah. You're good. Actually yes, my jealous employee was the whistle blower. Seto brought me and my sister to stay with them until this blows over."

Pegasus grinned and shook his head.

"_Ah, Kaiba_-_boy...always pretending to be gruff and emotionless but has a heart about as hard as a marshmallow." _

Sonja had to laugh. Pegasus laughed too.

"_There! See, I can make anyone smile!" _he joked.

"So I see. Incidentally, why did you call?"

"_I'm always trying to check in. Kaiba-boy never answers. I do hope he doesn't still hate me." _Pegasus said a little dramatically.

"Hate you?"

"_Yes, quite an unfortunate dilemma, if you ask me. But don't take my word for it. Ask him." _

Sonja shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'll pass."

"_Oh really? But it's such an interesting story. Anywhoo, since Kaiba-boy isn't there, I suppose I'd better hit the road. But I'll be calling back if you'll tell him." _

Sonja nodded.

"Sure."

"_Thanks. Oh, and by the way, hope things go well." _

Pegasus winked and then signed off. Sonja frowned.

"Okay, that was totally weird." she muttered.

When Kaiba returned about a half hour later, Sonja told him about the weird call. Kaiba sighed irritably and shook his head.

"That oddball has been trying to set up good relations with the company again." Kaiba grumbled.

"Even if you two had some kind of tiff in the past, it's over now." Sonja said. "Besides, he seemed like he really wanted to talk to you."

"You don't know him like I do, Sonja."

"Maybe not, but I'm a relatively good judge of character."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh shut up, Allan made his living fooling people." Sonja snapped. "Besides, I was desperate."

Kaiba shook his head.

"You're so easy to get to." he mumbled. Sonja scowled.

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?" she snapped. But before he could answer, that same weird beeping sounded off on his computer. Kaiba's face fell in irritation. Sonja came over to see.

"_Hey there, Kaiba-boy and friend."_ Pegasus chimed. He emphasized 'friend' and chuckled.

"What do you want, Pegasus?" Kaiba asked irritably.

"_Oh, nothing much. Really. All I want is to be a mediator between you and the press causing problems in your relationship." _

Kaiba and Sonja exchanged disbelieving glances.

"Yeah right." Kaiba growled. Pegasus raised his hands in defense, looking hurt.

"_But I mean it! Believe it or not, I too was once in love!"_ he said, folding his hands and gazing skyward. He sighed dramatically. "_But alas, we were parted ever so tragically. So!"_ he boomed, suddenly forceful, "_In the hopes you'll forgive me for my antics, I shall see that you two remain forever happy!" _

Kaiba frowned.

"Why do I get the nagging suspicion there's a catch?" he mumbled.

"_Well, yes there is. But it's too soon to take it into effect. Believe me, I'll hold you to your honor to remember when I ask for this little favor. In the meantime, I've got powerful allies in my corner who will forcefully evict those malevolent muckrakers from your lives." _

Sonja hummed and crossed her arms.

"Even if you can, would it stay that way?" she asked.

"_Absolutely. I'm a man of my word. However, it will take a couple of weeks for my efforts to bear fruit. So in the meantime, it would definitely be in your best interests to remain as you are. Remember, I'll be forcing these annoying anomalies to give up the story of the century. So it will take time. Also, media circuits run in cycles. In another year, they'll be trying again and as the watchful and concerned eye that I am, I shall take notice and measures to fullest extent of my vast sea of power." _

Sonja smiled wryly. "He's got a way with words." she muttered. Kaiba sighed. He'd never even dream of saying it out loud, but he was secretly grateful that _someone_ could help get this back under control. He wasn't sure how Pegasus could do it, or what the loon even wanted in return, but whatever it was, it couldn't be as bad as five years or so ago.

"Fine," he growled. "If you can keep this from blowing further out of proportion than it is, we'll remember your favor when you decide to ask for it. But only if you can stop this completely."

"Yes." Sonja agreed. "I can't even go outside without a disguise of some sort."

"Tell me about it," Kaiba grumbled, remembering the incident with the wig.

Pegasus waved a finger at them.

"_Now, now, even as brilliant as I am, I can't work miracles. But as an outstanding cupid of sorts, I shall see to it that the country's most thickheaded person will search the sea for fish no more!" _

Kaiba just stared. Sonja started giggling and he glared at her.

"Sorry. He was telling me something along the same lines earlier." she snickered.

"_You won't be sorry."_ Pegasus exclaimed. And with that, he signed off.

Sonja looked away while Kaiba just stared at the screen.

"Um," she mumbled. "Do you think he meant all that?"

"Hard to tell." Kaiba replied. Sonja sighed.

"Well, in any case, I'm going to go out for a bit." she said. He glanced at her curiously.

"Where?"

Sonja grinned.

"It's a secret." she said. Kaiba scowled.

"Just be careful." he grumbled.

"I will," Sonja said. She left the house and, donning her disguise, headed out toward the town. It was still snowing lightly and stuck to her wig like glue. She'd punched the lenses out of a pair of sunglasses she had and put them on to look like real glasses. She didn't worry about anything else. Except for her hair, she was actually pretty ordinary-looking.

It was almost Christmas. Pegasus had promised them a quick reprieve from the reporters. She hoped she'd be back home for Christmas. She wondered if Arika and Daichi had gotten a tree, yet. In reality, she was heading to the bank to get some money for secret Christmas shopping. When she got there, she realized she'd forgotten her ATM card. Rolling her eyes and mentally kicking herself, she risked going in.

"It's cold out there!" she exclaimed, brushing the hair from her wig. Hardly anyone was in there due to the weather outside. She approached the desk.

"Hi," she said. "I need to make a small withdrawal."

The female clerk nodded. She was wearing her long blond hair back in a bun with wisps hanging down fashionably. Her thin framed glasses hung at the edge of her nose, giving her a highly appealing appearance.

"Name." she said.

"Sonja Gavens."

The clerk pulled up her account ID picture and frowned, eying her suspiciously. Sonja lifted the wig off her face slightly, revealing strands of white hair beneath it.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I forgot I was still wearing this."

"Any reason?" the clerk asked. She took care of the necessary details and handed Sonja an envelope with the requested amount.

"Yes." Sonja said. "Just keep it under wraps. I happen to be dating a rather unusual someone at the moment and the media's going nuts. I have to go incognito to do anything."

"And here I thought this kind of stuff only happened in bad soap operas." the clerk said. "But who doesn't love a bad soap opera?"

She winked at Sonja and Sonja's jaw dropped, the wig nearly flopping off her face.

"_Mai_!?" she exclaimed. Mai shushed her and giggled.

"Got you." she whispered. "Didn't recognize me, did you?"

"You got that right. What are you doing working as a teller in the bank?" Sonja asked, barely suppressing her excitement at seeing her friend again.

"Well, as you know, that cruise liner doesn't run in the dead of winter. This is my security net job until it starts up again. I get a new one every winter. Some are glamorous, some aren't. It's just life."

"I barely recognized you. You're a better actress than you think." Sonja said.

"Speak for yourself. I'm not wearing make-up, did my hair up in a totally different style and even changed my voice and you didn't recognize me. But you're only wearing a wig and glasses and I had to double-check that it was you! Now tell me who's the better actress, hon."

Sonja laughed.

"I'd say it's a definite tie." she said.

"Hey, how about this? I go on break in a couple of minutes. You want to hang around so we can chit-chat?"

"Sure."

After about ten minutes, Mai took Sonja into the employee lounge at the back of the building. She got herself a coffee and a hot chocolate for Sonja. They sat down at a table by the window watching the snow fall.

"Personally, I love winter. It's so charming." Mai said. "But I hate driving here. Snow tires are a pain to install and an even bigger pain to maintain."

"I don't drive, so I can't relate. But it's difficult keeping the shop warm enough for the tropical plants I keep. I hope they're doing all right."

"That reminds me, who's watching your shop?"

"Arika and Daichi. At least, I hope they are. Oh, and my new employee, Sandra."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "New employee?"

"Yeah. She's got a crush on Seto the size of Manhattan. She's the one who told the press about us."

"So I read in the papers, kiddo. It's gotta be rough." Mai said sympathetically. "All of the columns I've read say you've disappeared without a trace. Everyone's looking for you."

"Well, they shouldn't find me. Seto took me and Sophie to stay with them."

Mai started laughing.

"Yeah! It was on the news, live! A Kaiba Corp. helicopter shows up and lands on the roof of your shop. That was hysterical! Tell Kaiba I said that, okay?"

"Oh, he knows. It's thanks to that that the whole world is aware of us by now. Fortunately, Pegasus contacted him and promised he could calm the situation down. But he's asked us for a favor he doesn't want us to grant, yet. He won't even tell us what he wants."

"Pegasus, huh? I was sure he'd dropped off the face of the earth." Mai commented.

"Yeah. Seto doesn't trust him, but I'm not entirely sure."

"Can't really blame him, not after what he did to them." Mai mumbled. "In any case, I'm glad to see that something finally sparked between you two. Never thought I'd see the day Kaiba loses it for someone. And to think that someone is you. That's saying something, kiddo. If anyone could melt that icy heart of his, it'd be you."

"Thanks, Mai. It just took a long time."

"Five years. That's gotta be a record of some kind." Mai said with a smile. "But he'd better be treating you okay. He'd have to deal with me if he doesn't and when I'm mad, look out!"

Sonja started laughing. Mai smiled. "That's what it's all about, huh? But promise me something, okay, Sonja?"

"Sure, what?"

"If Sophie for some reason refuses, I'd like to be your maid of honor."

Sonja choked on her hot chocolate and stared at Mai, bewildered.

"It's a bit soon to be thinking of that, huh? I mean, our first date-ish thing was only a few weeks ago."

"So? You love him, right?"

Sonja looked away, uncomfortable. "Yes." she admitted. Mai gently conked her on the head with her fist.

"So, accept it. Look, he's gonna pop the question sooner or later. Better be prepared for it."

Sonja hummed and sipped her hot chocolate. Mai sighed.

"Listen, hon, I understand what you're going through. But you're just being too, well, quiet about the whole thing. Look, just relax and let fate work its magic, okay?"

Sonja smiled and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." she said. She sighed. "Now if I can just figure out my next biggest problem, I'd be set."

"And what's that?" Mai asked bemusedly.

"I'm out today because it's almost Christmas. I wanted to try to get something for everyone. Sophie, Arika, Daichi, Mokuba, you, Tea and the others are easy. But Seto's another matter altogether."

"Because what can you find that he doesn't already have?"

"No, it's not that. It's where his interests lie. He has a very narrow spectrum of things he'd actually use. I don't like getting people stupid things; I like to think about things they'd be able to use and like at the same time. It gives it a more personal feel. For instance, I got Tea a CD of her favorite classical music, the kind she uses at her school."

"I see your point." Mai said. "Kaiba's interests go about as far as technology and dueling."

"Right. First, I tried to find him a card he doesn't have. But then I realized that the ex-world dueling champion is going to have every card that's easily accessible. Any card he doesn't have isn't worth owning, you know?"

"Yeah." Mai agreed. "So that leaves you with the technological aspects."

"But this just makes it more difficult. Where does that leave me?"

They both fell silent, thinking.

"I'll tell you straight forward, Sonja," Mai said finally. "I don't envy you."

"Gee, thanks, Mai." Sonja snapped. "I want it to be something both meaningful and something he can use."

Mai glanced at her watch and sighed.

"My break's over, hon. But I wish you luck with this, 'cause you're gonna need every ounce of it."

Back in the lobby, Sonja fixed the wig and glasses and shouldered her bag.

"Thanks for your help, Mai." she said. Mai nodded.

"No trouble. I hope you find something that works."

"Thanks. So do I." Sonja said. She headed out into the snow.

Outside, the only sounds were the crunching her boots made and the soft pats as the snow hit the ground. It was bloody cold, so most everyone in town was indoors, even though it wasn't snowing that hard.

She'd taken out a hundred and fifty dollars. She figured if she used her bargain hunting skills to their maximum efficiency, she'd be able to find something nice for everyone. Yugi and his grandpa were finally due to return to Domino just before Christmas. Sonja found it hard to believe how much Yugi resembled the spirit of the Pharaoh that used to inhabit his body. The small, sweet little guy everyone had come to know and love had disappeared overnight. Sure, his personality was the same, but he was still so different now. Tea was also returning from New York for Christmas break. But she was already covered. Joey's job at the local precinct kept him on his feet and Tristan's position as a local soccer coach tied up his schedule, but they'd all have free time around the holidays. To her surprise, she'd even gotten an email from the last person she ever expected to hear from, even if she'd known him well enough to expect it. It was Marik and his sister Ishizu. Ishizu had goaded him into writing to see how they were all doing and he insisted he'd been planning on it anyway. He asked how they all were and what everyone was up to. Sonja filled him in on their recent escapades and the details of the mess going on in Domino at the moment (leaving out the basic reason for it all, of course). He'd written back a reply and a request to keep in touch. Sonja had acquired a pen-pal without even realizing it. It was hard to believe he'd once been their arch enemy.

She ducked inside a store several blocks from her shop. The owner was a middle-aged man with a beard and sad eyes. He looked like a Saint Bernard.

"Good afternoon," he said gruffly. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm just Christmas shopping." Sonja said. The man nodded, understanding.

"I see." he said.

Sonja hadn't read the sign above the door outside and soon discovered that this place sold just about everything imaginable. It was like a miniature general store. She took her time and slowly browsed through everything. She almost immediately found something for Tristan; a soccer ball shaped alarm clock. She knew from Tea that Tristan was a very deep sleeper and needed eight alarm clocks just to stir him. She wound it up and it let out a blast like a train whistle, making the owner of the shop jump in surprise and nearly drop a set of mugs he was painting.

"Sorry," Sonja said sheepishly, turning the alarm off quickly. She held onto the clock, convinced that this thing could wake Tristan easily.

Joey was a tad more difficult. She was trying to get them in their order of difficulty. Kaiba would be last on the list so she could focus more on what she could possibly find. For Joey, she found a plastic bag filled with chocolate covered cashews and tied with a festive ribbon. He was such a chow hound that instinct told her he'd love them. They were reasonably priced, too. She believed that a gift just had to be simple to be meaningful.

Next came Yugi. Unfortunately, she didn't see anything for him in here. She decided to stick with what she had and go to another store to look.

After paying for the clock and cashews, she left the store and headed toward a small shopping center in the middle of the city. She felt a slight breeze picking up and started to worry that her wig would fly off. If that happened, she'd have to turn tail and run into the nearest alley and hope she hadn't been spotted.

Fortunately, she made it to the shopping center with little difficulty and selected a small gaming store. Yugi had recently broken the case he kept his cards in. He'd been pretty upset up about it and refused to throw the pieces away. But his cards were vulnerable to the elements outside of it, so Sonja immediately knew what to get him. At the counter, she asked for a new wooden case with Yugi's initials engraved on the top. The manager showed her a wooden case with gold trimming from behind the counter. Sonja nodded.

"It's perfect." she said. She told him what she wanted carved on it and he told her to wait a few minutes while he did it. She took this time to look around. Her eyes landed on a set of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Knowing Sophie and Mokuba's obsession with trying to out-compete each other in every game, she decided this would make a good gift for the both of them. She picked it up and then waited for the case to be finished. The manager called her over and showed it to her. She agreed, paid for her selections and once again went outside.

A few doors down was a small jewelry store. She had no idea what to get Mai, so she decided on a nice necklace and matching earring set. They were silver with fake rubies set in their spiraled centers. They actually looked nice and like something Mai would wear while working. The necklace was crescent moon shaped and plain silver, but also pretty. She purchased this and then went outside again and leaned against the wall between the stores, staring at the snow. This left her final decision, and her most difficult. What to get Kaiba. She just couldn't think of anything.

"Lets' see...he's always working. His only interests are dueling and machines. He has just about every card there is to own and anything he doesn't have isn't worth having."

Disheartened, she proceeded further down the street until she came to small hardware store. Maybe she could find something to help him when he was working on his various technological inventions. It was worth a shot.

She ignored the employee asking if she needed anything as she perused the shelves, studying everything carefully. But no matter how much she looked, nothing appealed to her. She was about to give up and go somewhere else when something caught her eye. She turned and picked it up.

It was a tool kit in a portable platinum painted steel case. She opened it. Inside were various basic tools like wrenches, screw drivers, drill bits and more, including their different size attachments. Each piece was nestled in purple velvet and held in place by a small black clasp to keep them from being jostled around. When it shut, it looked like a miniature suitcase complete with security latches.

Sonja studied it for a second. Then, she smiled faintly.

"Maybe, this will work." she said to herself. She took her bags and the case up front. After paying for it, she decided to ask them a question.

"Um, do you by any chance do engraving? It's a personalized gift." she said. The man behind the counter gave her a funny look.

"Well, ordinarily, we don't, lady. But, since it's Christmas, I think we can manage it this time. It's just gonna be five bucks more."

Sonja happily laid down the extra money while the man took out a cutting drill.

"What do you want it to say?" he asked. Sonja mentally braced herself.

"It's a friend's initials." she said, hoping that this guy wouldn't catch on.

"Okay," he said, bracing the drill. "Shoot."

"S.K." Sonja said. She braced, the but man didn't even react. Perhaps Kaiba's initials were common. She waited while he finished the engraving and handed it to her for inspection. He'd even carved out a neat little oval around the letters.

"It looks great." Sonja said. "Thanks a bunch."

"Not a problem. Happy holidays."

"You too." Sonja said as she headed back outside.

Instantly, she regretted her decision. The snow was coming down harder than ever and the wind stung her face mercilessly.

"Ugh," she muttered. "How am I ever going to make it back through this?"

She squinted into the street hoping to see a taxi. But the weather made it difficult to see much.

Suddenly, just what she'd been afraid of happening happened; her wig tore away from her head, releasing her head in a snowy cascade into the wind.

"Ah!" she yelled, reaching for it. But she quickly lost sight of it in the dense snow. She sighed and ducked beneath the awning of a nearby store, shivering and waiting miserably for the snow to cease.

"What a day." she growled. She looked up when she saw a squad car pulling up beside the sidewalk and someone getting out. As the person drew nearer, hunched over against the wind, her eyes widened.

"Joey!" she exclaimed. Joey grinned and waved, stumbling over.

"Almost didn't recognize you until I saw that wig of yours blow off." he said. "But you can explain that later."

"What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?" Sonja asked, afraid she might have accidentally slipped something from one of the stores into her bag without even realizing it. Joey glowered at her, his goofy smile vanishing.

"Oh, I'll say you did something wrong." he said. "Come on, lets' go."

He pushed Sonja over to the car and forced her inside the back seat, slamming and locking the door. Sonja tugged on a strand of her hair nervously. Maybe she really _had_ done something wrong. But whatever it was, she wished he'd tell her so she could start apologizing.

Joey climbed into the drivers' seat and closed the door. He turned the engine on and pulled away from the curb.

"Sonja," he said, "Do you know why you're here?"

"Well, no actually. Would you mind telling me?" she said.

"You know what you did!" Joey exclaimed. "And guess where I'm taking you?"

Sonja was seriously getting freaked out, especially when Joey pulled a hard curve to the right back the way Sonja had come from the bank. Sonja smacked her head against the door frame and hissed in pain.

"Watch where you're driving, you idiot!" she snapped, rubbing her head. "Where are you taking me? This isn't like you!"

"Just be quiet."

Sonja scowled. "Joey, you're scaring me." she growled. She was about to try to open the door when he suddenly swerved into a parking space in front of..._the bank?_ This didn't make any sense. He got out of the squad car and opened the back door, pulling her out and shutting the door again.

"Come on, lets' go."

"Joey, you moron, let me go! I don't know what kind of nonsense you're pulling, but it's not funny!" she yelled as he pulled her into the bank. He stalked over to the counter where Sonja spotted Mai working with an elderly woman. Mai looked up in shock when Joey shoved Sonja forward. Sonja gained her footing and glared daggers at Joey as he strode to the front and stared at Mai.

"I need a little help, here." he said. Mai scowled and turned to her customer.

"Excuse me, I'll be with you in just a moment," she said, biting on her words toward Joey. The bewildered old woman hobbled off to the side while Mai came around the desk to the lobby and grabbed Joey by the tie, yanking him protesting toward the employee lounge.

"Come on, Sonja." she said irritably. Sonja gave the old woman a confused shrug and hurried after them.

Mai threw Joey into the back room and shut the door after Sonja was inside. Joey straightened his tie and scowled.

"Do you have any idea what's happened?" he declared. Mai put her hands on her hips and sighed, frowning disinterestedly.

"If I did, wouldn't I be agreeing with you?" she drawled. "What's this all about? And why drive Sonja here in the back of the squad car like some common criminal? Just what has gotten into you, monkey boy?"

"_I'm no monkey!_" Joey bellowed. He jerked his finger toward Sonja. "What's happened is that she has been brainwashed! I brought her here for her own protection!"

"What on earth are you babbling about?" Mai exclaimed. Sonja just followed the back and forth aimlessly, wondering where this was leading to and how it would end. All the while, she tried to figure out what exactly it was she'd done.

"I'm saying that Kaiba has somehow blackmailed her into going out with him so that he can get back at me and Yugi for always showing him up, that's what I'm saying!"

It felt like a gray curtain had descended over them. Sonja just stared blankly at the wall in front of her, resisting the urge to turn and bang her head against the wall in frustration. Mai growled and stalked forward, snatching Joey by the collar of his coat.

"You dragged that poor girl all the way here, interrupted my busy work day and caused who knows what else trouble just to spout that garbage?" she shrieked.

"What do ya mean 'garbage'? It's true! The guy's as mental as they come! There is no way someone as nice as Sonja would ever agree to go out with somebody like him!"

"How the heck would you know?" Sonja grumbled. They both stared at her for a second before Mai whirled, snagged Joey's neck under her arm and started yanking hard on his hair while he yelled and flailed to free himself.

"Just you wait, you insensitive idiot, when I tell your chief about this, you are going to be so fired, you hear me!"

"Not the hair! Not the hair!" Joey yelled.

"Joey," Sonja interrupted. "Just where on earth did you get that idea that I was blackmailed?"

Joey yanked himself free from Mai and rubbed his hair down into place.

"'Cause the two of you are always arguing over something and suddenly, everyone in town's goin' nuts over you two suddenly dating."

Sonja sighed.

"It's because it's true." she said quietly. "You also read that I disappeared, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's true, too. And do you know how I disappeared?"

"Actually, no. I read that some helicopter took you away, but that's it."

Sonja couldn't help but be amazed at how oblivious he still was to this day.

"How many people do you know who own a helicopter?" she exclaimed. Joey's eyes widened. Then, he gasped in shock.

"So rich-boy got you outta that mess? No way!"

"Yes. And Seto's also put me and my sister up with him and his brother until it calms down. I don't know where you got the idea that he blackmailed me, but next time check your facts. Honestly, you're as bad as those muckrakers I'm dodging."

Mai glowered at Joey as she looked from her to Sonja and then back again sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well, how about that?" he said, chuckling. "Hey, anybody can make a mistake, right?"

"Only you, Joey, especially with something like this." Sonja said. Then she frowned suspiciously. "Wait a second, how come you knew immediately who Mai was and that she was working here? I didn't even recognize her when I came here earlier and you're so danged oblivious, I figured you'd need an ID card and the works to figure it out. But you knew it was her right away."

Joey immediately went bright red and Mai sighed in defeat.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh Sonja?" she said. Joey whirled to her in a panic, his mouth gaping like a fish. Mai chuckled. "You know, this idiot needs someone reliable like me to take care of him."

"I do not!" Joey yelled. Sonja just stared in disbelief.

"No. Way." she muttered. She blinked and then grinned, running forward and snatching them both into a hug, nearly knocking them over in the process.

"I don't believe it! You two are dating?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah." Joey muttered, highly embarrassed.

"I wouldn't go spreading it around, though." Mai said, dislodging herself from Sonja's grip. "I have to say, we make a pretty odd couple."

"You don't seem all that shaken that I know." Sonja said. Mai smirked.

"Hey, when it comes to odd couples hon, you and Kaiba take the cake." she said. "But Joey's so hopelessly klutzy, oblivious and impulsive, he needed someone like me to keep him in line. Besides, he is charming." she said with a wink at Joey who went red as a beet. Sonja giggled.

"Well, I'm glad to see I'm not alone in the club, anymore. Look, this little fiasco has put me behind schedule. I need to get back and get these things hidden before they find out where I've been."

She picked up her bags again and headed for the door.

"Congratulations, by the way." she said.

"Same here," Mai said. "And don't worry about monkey boy here, he's in good hands."

Sonja ignored Joey's outraged rant. "I'm sure you're right. Catch you later."

Back outside, the snow had calmed slightly. Hardly anyone was out, still so she figured she'd be safe without the wig for the time being.

As she was heading back, she remained unaware of a single pair of eyes glaring at her until she was far out of sight.

A/N: Hehe, I had so much fun writing this. Cauryn came up with Kaiba's gift idea. I spent a week fussing over the perfect gift for this guy. I even asked my non-anime family what they thought and my mom said a tie. I do hope she was joking. -_-;.


	13. Promises and Perseverance

A/N: This chapter is named for the story for a very important reason. Originally, I lost track of my writing so the chapter was over 13,000 words long. I had to divide it, so what was going to be the true first kiss chapter is actually going to be next chapter. Oh, I was mad here, and I took my anger out on a hated character from the series. Plus, brief dueling action here! Enjoy. Fluff alert.

Promises and Perseverance

Kaiba stared hard at the chat room he had Damon Gavens in. So far, Damon had been using it as an opportunity to rant. Kaiba didn't really care, so he just kind of tuned him out most of the time, ignoring the constant beeps as he updated his message.

He looked at the clock.

_**Beep!**_

__So far, Sonja had been gone for several hours. He was starting to worry about her.

_**Beep!**_

__Kaiba glared at the computer screen. So far, Damon had 133 messages compared to his own two messages. This guy was getting annoying fast. But he knew that seeing him again would be the greatest thing to help Sonja.

_**Beep!**_

__Kaiba sighed irritably and typed in a new message.

_SetoKaiba: _**Damon, listen. I've arranged for the two of us to fly out to Nara after New Years. Why don't you meet us somewhere?**

_DamonGavens: _**About time. Hmm...how about the cemetery?**

Kaiba started in confusion. He stared straight ahead and then back at his computer.

_SetoKaiba:_** The cemetery?**

_DamonGavens:_** Sure! I understand that you have to keep it under wraps or people will get the wrong idea and think you're dating her. **

Kaiba scowled and shook his head in empathy. This guy needed help and a dose of reality.

_SetoKaiba: _**Fine then. Since you're saying cemetery, I'm guessing it's where her mother is buried. **

_DamonGavens:_** Yup. I assume since you know that Sonja told you. In that case, she'll know the name of the place already. **

And with that, he signed off. Kaiba sighed and leaned back in relief. It was about time. That weirdo had been starting to get to him. He kept reminding himself why he was doing it.

He looked at the clock again and then out the window. The sun was beginning to set. Where had Sonja gone off to?

He wouldn't admit it, but he was getting worried. What if something had happened? No, he couldn't think like that. She was probably just running late. Even so, he felt that he should go look for her.

He told Mokuba that he was going out for a bit, effectively causing him to lose a racing game to Sophie.

"Darn it, Seto, you messed me up!" Mokuba growled. Kaiba smirked.

"Whoops." he said. He turned and hurried away before Mokuba could react. And people said that he didn't have a sense of humor.

He didn't tell them that he was worried about Sonja, but after he left, Sophie sighed and shook her head.

"Oh boy, he's worried." she said.

"Yup," Mokuba agreed. "Sonja's late, so he's going to go look for her."

"I'd be worried too, but remember, Sonja's pretty good at karate. She'll be fine."

"Yeah." Mokuba agreed.

Outside, Kaiba had started the car and driven out the gate, heading into town. By this point in time, he knew most of Sonja's favorite hangouts. All he had to do was check them and make sure she was at one of them.

He paused at the corner before going past her shop. It didn't look like anyone was there, but caution was a necessity. As he drove past, he saw that no one was in there except for Sandra. He briefly entertained the notion that she might know where Sonja had gone. Deciding it was at least a good place to start, he idled the engine and got out.

Sandra was sweeping, facing away when he opened the door.

"Hang on, I'll be right with you." she said. She set the broom against the shelf and headed behind the counter. Kaiba was amazed; the shop looked like it was flourishing, despite the bitter cold outside. Sandra turned around and her eyes went wide. She squeaked, gulped and ducked down slowly so only her eyes showed above the counter.

"Uh, what are y-you d-doing here?" she squeaked.

"I'm looking for Sonja." he said. "Did she come by here, recently?"

"No," Sandra said. She stood up, calming down and staring at him. "But she likes to haunt this street, keeping an eye on me."

"I see. Thanks."

He turned and headed back outside.

"Wait!"

Kaiba paused and glanced back at her.

"What is it?"

Sandra stared at the floor and then at the computer. Kaiba could see she had a spreadsheet program open. She must have been trying to catalog the sales she'd pulled during Sonja's absence.

"Never mind," she said quietly. "It's nothing."

Kaiba frowned. But he turned without a word and got back into the car.

One hour passed. Kaiba had gone down almost every street, questioning people he came across. Nobody had been able to give him a straight answer and he was beginning to get nervous. It was getting dark out.

Finally, he came to a stop by a forested street, trees flanking either side. It was snowing again. Maybe she'd gone back to the house already.

That was when he remembered she had a cell phone. He knew it was worth a try and cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. He pulled his own phone and out and dialed her number. He sighed in irritation when he wasn't getting a signal inside the car and got out, watching the phone for bars. When he finally got a few, he dialed again.

He froze. It was faint, but he could hear it. A tiny sound of ringing bells. He felt his heat hammering in fear. It was close by; he could recognize it.

It was Sonja's favorite ring tone, _Carol of The Bells_ in instrumental. She'd put it on her phone several months before.

The ringing stopped. He dialed again, hoping he hadn't heard what he'd been sure he heard. But there it was again, coming from off to his right. He slowly made his way forward, following the sound. Glancing around him, his realized that this road was the same road he'd take to get back home. He hadn't realized it because it was almost dark, now. He'd been too busy searching for Sonja.

The ringing stopped again. He dialed one more time, listening intently. It was so close, now. He could make out every instrument used to compose the music.

"Sonja?" he called softly. He sorely hoped she'd simply just dropped her phone.

He stepped over the wooden fencing lining the road.

"Sonja?" he said again.

He stepped forward and felt his foot hit something that crunched slightly. He looked down. It was a plastic bag filled with various random objects; a Dungeon Dice Monsters kit, a wooden box with the initials Y.M, a necklace and earring set, a soccer ball shaped clock, a bag of cashews and a silver case of some kind. At the initials, which he recognized as Yugi's, he came to the conclusion that she'd been out finding Christmas gifts for everyone. But if that were the case, then why were they lying here in the snow, seemingly abandoned.

"Sonja?" he called, growing more anxious. He dialed her phone again. This time, the ringing was so loud, it felt tangible. And it was coming from right in front of him. He crept forward carefully, pushing aside the bushes to get a better look.

What he thought was snow, to his horror, melded into her hair splayed out on the ground. She was lying face down in the snow, apparently unconscious.

"Sonja!" he yelled. He hurried over and knelt down, brushing her hair back from her face. Her face was sheet white from the cold and burning cold to the touch.

"No," he murmured, "Sonja, come on, wake up."

He reached down and lifted her limp body up. He pulled her tightly against him, trying to use his own heat to warm her.

"Sonja," he said. "Come on, you have to wake up."

Her eyes twitched beneath the lids and he heard a faint moan. Quickly, he picked her up and hurried back to the car. He opened the front passenger door and gently set her inside. He shut the door and went around to the drivers' side, getting in, starting the engine and turning the heat up as hard as it would go. He reached over and turned all the vents so they were blowing on her. Fortunately, they'd already been dispensing warm air and came out as hot air. He watched her anxiously, reaching forward and grasping her hand. What on earth had happened? Why had she been lying in the snow, half-dead?

She started to wake up a little, moaning in pain as her blood began to circulate through her frozen limbs. She shivered viciously.

"It's cold," she muttered. Kaiba checked the air vents and then got out. He picked up her scattered bags and set them in the back seat, knowing that despite her being half-frozen, she'd be concerned about everyone's Christmas gifts. Then he got back in the car and started the engine.

"Hang on, Sonja. We're heading back." he said.

"It's so cold," she said again.

Color was gradually returning to her face, along with the sudden return of the senses. She grimaced and hunched over, covering her hands.

Kaiba got his cell phone again and dialed Mokuba's phone.

"_Hey bro, did you find Sonja"_

"Yes. Do me a favor, turn the house temperature up, find some blankets and get Sophie to make some tea or something. I have her, but she's near frozen."

_"What? What happened?" _

"I'll tell you when I get there, just hurry."

He hung up and glanced at Sonja. She was shivering violently. He didn't know how long she'd been out, but it was obviously long enough to lower her core temperature. He had to get it back up or she'd come down with hypothermia.

He pulled through the gate and shut it behind them. Once in front of the house, he got out and went around to the passenger side. He opened the door and lifted Sonja out, hurrying back to the house where Sophie stood panicking in the doorway.

"What happened? Is she all right? Who did this? Where was she?" she shrieked. Kaiba pushed past her and gestured for them to follow him upstairs.

In Sonja's guest room, he carefully placed her down on the bed and turned to Sophie.

"Get her warmed up. I'll tell you what happened in a minute." he said, turning to go. Sophie grabbed his arm. Her expression was uncharacteristically fierce.

"No, you'll tell me now!" she corrected. She turned back to Sonja and pulled the covers up over her, staring down at her worriedly.

"I found her lying in the snow about a quarter mile from here." Kaiba said. "I don't know what happened, but I'm guessing she may have been mugged."

"Okay," Sophie said, hurrying toward the door. Kaiba grabbed her and held her back.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to find whoever did this and give them a piece of my mind." Sophie replied.

"Did you hear what you just said?" Kaiba demanded. "The chances of finding this person are slimmer than you actually standing a chance against them."

"So?" Sophie snapped childishly.

Mokuba came into the room with an extra blanket.

"Took this off my bed," he said. He threw it over Sonja, still shivering fiercely. She opened her eyes slightly.

"T-T-Thanks M-Mokuba," she stuttered.

"Hey, she's awake!" Mokuba exclaimed. They all turned to her and Sophie knelt beside the bed, giving her sister a hug.

"Do you feel a little better?" Sophie asked.

"J-Jeez, you're b-b-burning hot." Sonja mumbled.

"That's because you're ice cold." Sophie answered. "What were you doing lying in the snow like that?"

Sonja scowled at her, still shivering.

"F-F-Freezing." she growled. Sophie chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah, stupid question. Sorry."

"Lets' rephrase it," Kaiba said. "Who did this to you?"

Sonja stared upwards, thinking. Her shivering was slowing down and she seemed more awake, now. "Lets' see." she muttered, finally able to speak normally, "I didn't see exactly who it was. He wanted money for alcohol. He was already pretty drunk as it was, so I decided it was safer to give him what he wanted. I gave him some money and tried to walk away. Then he barked that it wasn't enough. He wanted the rest of it. I tried to tell him there wasn't anymore."

"So what happened?" Sophie asked.

"I took out my phone, threatening to call the police. He snatched my bag and hit me over the head with something. I must have blacked out, but I remember being picked up and dumped in the bushes. I heard him stomping and assumed he'd crushed my phone."

"It's a good thing he didn't," Kaiba said. "That's how I found you."

"Can you remember anything about this creep?" Mokuba asked anxiously. Sonja closed her eyes and thought hard. Then, she opened them suddenly.

"Yeah! He was wearing an American flag bandana on his head. Ring any bells?"

Mokuba and Sophie exchanged hopeless glances, but Kaiba's face darkened. Sonja noticed and frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"Mokuba, keep an eye on her," he growled. He stalked out of the room. "I'll be back in a while." he said.

"Hey, Seto, what-ugh." Mokuba said as his brother left the room.

Sonja struggled to get to her feet and stumbled to the door as Sophie tried to stop her.

"Wait, sis, you need to rest. You were just about frozen!" she said. But Sonja pulled away and stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Wait!" she said as Kaiba prepared to leave. He turned, unsurprised to see her on her feet. He knew she wouldn't be spending much time resting.

"What?"

"You know the guy, don't you?" Sonja said.

"Probably. He's the only one I know with a headband like that." Kaiba replied.

"Listen, just forget about it," Sonja said, holding onto the banister as she started down the stairs. "He was so out that he probably won't even remember attacking me. He won't know what's going on."

"Sonja, he still strong-armed you into giving him your money. I have little tolerance for bullies." Kaiba growled.

"I understand that, but-"

"Get some rest, Sonja," Kaiba interrupted. "I won't be gone long."

Sonja started to protest, but he was already outside and shut the door. Sonja sighed and turned to go back up. As she sat back down on the bed, pulling the blanket around her, she stared at the floor.

"I really wish he wouldn't do that." she muttered.

"I don't believe you have a choice." Mokuba grinned. "If I were you, I'd get some rest like he said. He'll be back."

What Sonja didn't know was what Kaiba's intentions were. Mokuba knew well enough, but he was sure Sonja didn't.

Sonja sighed in defeat and turned to go back in the room. She sat down beside Sophie, gazing at the floor. Sophie clicked her tongue and then smiled.

"Hey, don't worry so much, everything's gonna be fine, sis."

"Hm." Sonja said. "Maybe."

Sophie sighed. Sonja was too lost in her own thoughts to care at the moment.

//ooo//

Kaiba made his way downtown, training his thoughts on only one thing: finding Bandit Keith. That creep had been causing trouble for people around Domino for years. But this was the first mugging he'd done that Kaiba knew about. Ever since his trouncing at Joey Wheeler's hands at Duelist Kingdom, Keith hadn't been the same duelist. Having lost every tournament he entered, he'd sunk to new lows of obtaining money. Stealing was one thing, but attacking someone to get it was another, especially when that someone was Sonja. He was going to make sure Keith lived to regret this. This brought back unpleasant memories of his days in the orphanage. Back then, he'd been a lot smaller than most of the other boys and they used this to their advantage. Often, he had to resort to violence if he wanted his or Mokuba's toys back. This time was no different. Not only had Keith stolen Sonja's money, but he'd also just left her unconscious in the snow. She likely wouldn't have died, but in the very least he'd almost hospitalized her-again.

Fortunately, he had a good idea of where Keith liked to hang out. Since his most recent defeats, Keith had taken to drinking heavily, and there was only one tavern seedy and rundown enough for Keith to afford in Domino. He'd bet everything that Keith was there, right now. He knew just how to deal with him and glanced at the glove box where he'd stored his dueling deck.

He found the place a few blocks away from the new wharf. He frowned and got out. There was an employee sweeping outside who looked up when he approached. He instantly froze.

"Uh, c-can I help you?"

"Yeah," Kaiba said. "I'm looking for someone named Bandit Keith. You know him?"

The employee gulped and gripped the handle of the broom.

"S-Sure, he's a regular. He's inside."

"Bring him out, if you don't mind." Kaiba said, his eyes narrowing. The employee dropped the broom and ran inside. Several minutes passed and Kaiba took this time to go to his trunk and take out two duel disks he'd brought along. Even inebriated, Keith shouldn't have trouble figuring them out. For his own sake, he'd better.

Keith came stumbling out, grumbling under his breath. He wasn't as drunk as Kaiba expected. This should make for an interesting challenge.

"What do you want?" Keith snapped. Kaiba hurled a disk at him. Keith caught it, but just barely.

"A duel for the return of the money you stole from that girl." Kaiba growled.

"Girl? You mean the white haired chick? Hey, don't get me wrong, I thought she was an old woman." Keith sneered.

Kaiba frowned, angrily, strapping on the duel disk and inserting his duel deck.

"If it were just the money, I wouldn't care and neither would she. It's how you left her that I'm mad at."

"Oh that. Guess I got a little rough. Oh well, she's still alive, ain't she? Besides, she threatened to call the cops. All I wanted was the phone. She could'a just given me that. But no, she had to get all feisty."

Keith clumsily strapped the disk on.

"Fine, if you win, I'll give back what's left of the girl's money. But if I win, tough guy, that girl goes on a date with me."

Kaiba figured Keith was perhaps a little more out of his mind than he'd originally thought.

"Don't bet on it," Kaiba growled, "Something tells me you don't completely know what you've gotten yourself into."

The holo projectors launched out and switched on.

"I'll go first," Keith declared. He drew four cards and Kaiba didn't bother to correct him. Keith hadn't been in a good state of mind for years, now. "And," Keith said, "I'll start by summoning Pendulum Machine in attack mode!"

He slapped the card down onto the recognizer and the monster materialized in front of him. "Beat that!" Keith drawled.

"Gladly," Kaiba muttered. He studied his hand. Then, he smirked. This was going to be even quicker than he thought.

"First, I summon Saggi the Dark Clown, in defense mode. Then, I'll place two cards face down for later."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as Keith drew a card.

_That Crush Card should wipe out his entire deck. I may have drawn two Blue-Eyes on my first move, but I want Keith to realize exactly how low he's gone since Duelist Kingdom. _

"Idiot," Keith yelled. "My Pendulum Machine will slice your clown to ribbons! Go, Pendulum Machine! Destroy that clown!"

As Saggi was eliminated, Kaiba activated the Crush Card.

"Too bad, Keith. You're even worse off than I thought." Kaiba said.  
"Huh?" Keith said dumbly.

"You activated my trap, a Crush Card. Now, every monster in your deck with an attack strength of 1,500 or more is infected and useless for the duration of the duel."

Keith snarled in fury and went through his deck, throwing away all of his contaminated monsters.

"You creep!" Keith snapped. "You just got lucky 'cause my head's a little foggy!"

"No, it's because you're a washed up has-been." Kaiba corrected him. "It's my move, now. And I'll start by summoning Lord of Dragons in attack mode. Next, I'll activate my Flute of Summoning Dragon, which lets me summon up to two dragons from my deck or hand. I choose my Blue Eyes White Dragons!"

He set them on the disk and in a flurry of lights and particles, the dragons appeared snarling on the field, eying Keith hungrily. He was totally defenseless, staring at the dragons in total and final fear.

"Wait!" he cried, "Stop!"

"Blue Eyes, attack his life points directly!" Kaiba ordered.

The first dragon launched its powerful wave of lightning energy into Keith, dropping him down to 1,000 Life points.

"No! There must be something I can do!" Keith exclaimed.

"There isn't." Kaiba said grimly. "Now, my second Blue Eyes, attack him directly!"

The second dragon's tidal wave of energy finished the duel in a single, decisive blow. Keith was thrown backwards into the wall of the tavern, groaning.

"No." he moaned. "No!"

With a single strike, he smashed the disk against the ground, shattering it. Kaiba stared, emotionless. Then, he strode forward, standing over Keith.

"You've lost. Now hand over Sonja's money." he demanded. Keith glowered up at him and grinned.

"Well, I would, but too bad I seem to have spent it all." he said. Kaiba grimaced, reached down and lifted Keith up by the collar of his shirt.

"That's fine," he said. "Then you wouldn't mind making up the difference from your own, would you?" he hissed at Keith.

"Why the heck should I?" Keith grumbled, choking.

"Think about it, Keith," Kaiba snapped. "Which would you rather do? Hand over the money or face my wrath?"

He could see the gears in Keith's eyes working frantically, trying to see a way out. Finally, he snarled and reached into his coat pocket. He took a small amount out and shoved it into his hands.

"Take it." he growled. Kaiba didn't move.

"Keith, if this isn't the correct amount, I'm coming back." he threatened. Keith hesitated for a moment and then spat on the ground. He yanked the rest of it out and threw it at him.

"Dweeb." he grumbled, stalking back into the tavern. Kaiba stared after him, shaking his head. Then, he turned back toward the car, pausing only to gather up the broken pieces of the duel disk. He put these and his own disk into the trunk and closed it. He got in and started the engine, feeling quite satisfied.

//ooo//

Sonja awoke the following morning, finally completely warmed up again. The sun was glinting in through the windows, signaling the approach of morning. It took her a moment to remember where she was, as usual. Every morning, her first thought was of Pegasus's promise to them.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, stifling a small yawn. She wondered how long Kaiba had been gone.

She pushed back the covers and was about to stand up when something on the bedside table caught her attention. It was a white envelope resting atop a piece of paper. Curious, she picked up the envelope and peeked inside.

"What the-?!" she exclaimed. There was a fair amount of money inside it. Now she knew what he'd been up to last night. After counting the amount to double check, she was sure of it. He'd hunted down the mugger and somehow gotten her money back.

"Jeez." she muttered. But she had to admit, it was pretty sweet of him. She knew better than to tell him that, however.

She picked up the piece of paper. It was a note to her:

**Sonja,**

**I found that creep who attacked you. I made sure he gave me the correct amount, but if some of it's missing, let me know. **

**By the time you wake up, you'll likely be alone. Mokuba and Sophie decided to sneak out to the arcade and undoubtedly won't be back for several hours. I've gone to the office to get some things done, so I won't be back until late. If anything happens, you know what to do. **

**~Seto**

Sonja smiled. Even though he didn't and refused to show it, she could tell he cared about her. He'd only recently started laying off the formalities of these notes he occasionally had to leave for her, such as signing his first name.

While Sonja didn't mind being by herself, she wasn't thrilled with the idea. Being in her tiny apartment was one thing, but this place was enormous. She got up and dressed, opting to take a walk outside to calm her nerves. She knew he was right, that there were many ways to escape if trouble reared its ugly head. But even with the safety precautions, she still preferred not to use them.

The sun was out, but there were icicles clinging to the roof outside the window. It was going to be pretty cold out. Sonja dressed warmly, sorely wishing for her green blanket back at the apartment.

Outside, the snow was perfectly smooth except for the footprints along the walkway. It must have snowed the night before and she could feel the anticipation in the air of Christmas in just under two weeks. She had no idea of the situation following the reporters, or how Pegasus was dealing with them as promised. Like with everything these days, she figured it had something to do with money.

She watched her breath turn into steam in the air and dissipate in seconds.

Walking the circumference of the grounds helped Sonja think more easily. She was going to be alone for most of the day, so she figured she'd spend her time reading.

Sonja sighed, stopping back in the front yard. She didn't want to spend all her time indoors, but she knew that going out could be bad, too. Then again, it had been two weeks since this mess had started and several days since Pegasus had contacted them. If he was true to his word, it should be relatively safe to go out without a disguise. She could at least check on her shop and grab a bite to eat at the apartment. Besides, she had to make sure Arika was doing okay.

This decided, she went back inside and up to her room to get ready.

//ooo//

Kaiba put aside a report and stared out the window. He figured that Sonja was awake by now and knowing her, would refuse to stay inside for long. He just hoped that she'd be careful if she went out. Even if the reporters had died down by now, there were still other dangers that could crop up from their relationship. One thing in particular that worried him was the very real possibility of a rival company trying to get to her to use her as blackmail for negotiations, the same way Pegasus had once used Mokuba. He could only hope that Sonja would remember everything he'd shown her. The situation was even more dangerous now that their secret was out.

//ooo//

Downtown, Sonja made her way through the snowy sidewalks. Despite her cautions, few people paid attention to her as she approached. Ten minutes following her entrance into Domino's downtown and she was beginning to think she was being paranoid. Maybe Pegasus had stopped those muckrakers in time.

She sighed, watching her breath evaporate away. She'd chosen to wear her red winter coat and jeans. She was glad she did. A thermostat in a grocery store she'd passed read thirty degrees Fahrenheit.

She paused to browse through a book store and purchased a book about extinct flora. This would make for interesting reading once she got back and she held the book tightly, excited.

Because of the cold and approaching wind chill, few people remained on the streets. This didn't bother Sonja, who preferred it that way with the way things were at the moment.

As she turned a corner to head toward her shop to check on progress, she was halted by a sharp beep behind her. She turned. A black car had pulled up behind her and stopped. A man wearing a gray suit and hat stepped out and approached, smiling warmly. Sonja stopped, wary.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, indeed, miss." the man said cheerfully. He tipped his hat. "The name's Henry Martin. My card-"

He handed her a small white card. Sonja read it.

"Hemmingway Industries?" she said.

"That's correct. I'm the vice president. May I ask you a few questions?"

Sonja frowned. "I don't even know what you manufacture. I'm afraid I can't help you. Sorry." she said. She turned to go. The man grabbed her shoulder and she turned again. His smile seemed strained, now.

"Please, just a couple of questions. It's of grave importance."

Sonja scowled and yanked away. "Fine. What is it?" she grumbled.

"First, am I correct in assuming your name is Sonja Gavens?"

Sonja felt her spine tingle unpleasantly.

"Yes," she gritted out. She instantly regretted it with his next question.

"Ah, excellent. Are you 'affiliated' with Seto Kaiba?" he asked. Sonja bristled and stepped backward.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Well, you see we're on the verge of an important business deal with Kaiba Corp and we were hoping you could put in a good word for us."

"I don't think so. I'd rather not meddle in his business." she said, effectively giving herself away. She could have kicked herself for being so stupid.

As she turned to go, the man grabbed her arm all of a sudden.

"I'm afraid we absolutely need your help," he said through clenched teeth, pulling her back.

"And I'm afraid I simply can't help you, now let go of me!" Sonja snapped. She threw herself forward and sank her teeth into his arm. He yelled and clenched his arm in pain, dropping Sonja. She dropped her book, slipped on the icy ground, regained her footing and took off toward the house. Henry snarled.

"Don't let her get away!" he called. Two men got out of the car and gave chase. Sonja could hear their footsteps clomping after her, but didn't dare look back. Her breath came in fast gasps in the icy air. She knew she could run well enough to make it back in time, but this air was going to fry her lungs. She tugged her scarf up over her nose and mouth.

"Get back here!" one of the men yelled angrily. Sonja rolled her eyes. How many times in books, movies, etc did anyone actually obey them when they said that? What was the point of even saying it? Like hell the victim was going to return just because you asked them nicely.

Sonja pushed herself. Luckily, she wasn't as far away as she originally thought and though she'd been dreading it, she knew she was going to have to use the underground tunnel. If she went straight into the house, she'd be caught for sure. She had to make them think she'd gone into the house, so she forced her legs to run faster than they'd gone in a long time, gaining valuable ground. By the time she reached the house, she felt like she was going to drop dead, but she'd earned a few precious seconds. She ran to the door, opened it a crack to fool them into thinking she'd gone in and then took off into the trees, desperately trying to remember where Kaiba had shown her the handle to the door. She scrambled to the farthest corner, praying this was it. Scraping through the snow, she touched its icy surface just as she heard their voices coming closer. She grasped the handle and yanked the door up, jumped down into the tunnel and closed it again. Heart pounding, breath coming in ragged, panicky gasps, she felt along the wall for the left passage, hurrying as fast as her worn out muscles would allow. She doubted any of them knew about the passageway and even if they did, she seriously doubted they knew which way to keep to.

Just as she reached the door leading into the house, she heard echoing voices in the tunnel. She swore to herself and heaved the trap door up, wondering how her luck could get any worse. Her heart felt like it was going to rip itself out of her chest.

She jumped out of the tunnel, slammed the hatch shut and stomped it a few times to secure it. Then, without hesitating, she shoved back the wall and made a break for the stairs.

She about fainted when she saw two men standing in the threshold, keeping watch. They yelled when they spotted her, but fortunately for her, growing up in the streets had greatly strengthened her reflexes. She was already halfway up the stairs by the time they started after her. If logic served her, they hadn't expected her to find a secret way into the house and therefore, didn't bother to post guards upstairs. She knew that getting to the hidden terminal was her only chance. If she could just make it.

When she reached the landing, her right knee buckled and she almost fell. She lashed out and caught the banister, gasping, and heaved herself back up. She sprinted toward the library and home office and with her last ounce of strength, slammed the door and locked it, knowing she had only minutes before they broke through. Stumbling to the shelf in the back, more dead than alive, she reached up feebly and pulled down _A History of Aztec Farming. _Those men were pounding viciously on the door, trying to break it open. The shelf to the left slid away, revealing the door. Balancing herself by placing her hand on the shelf, she allowed the sensor to scan her eye, just as Kaiba had programmed the week before. The door slid open and Sonja stumbled inside. She collapsed inside as the door began to close just as the office door splintered from many bashing kicks. Spotting her, they ran over furiously, seconds too late as the magnetic door slammed and locked. If Kaiba had been right, there was no way they'd be able to break through, try as they might. She heard them pounding on the steel and even heard the denying clicks as they attempted the eye scanner. But she knew she was safe at last.

She truly felt tired enough to die. In fact, tired didn't even begin to describe it. She crawled forward and switched on the computer, desperate to get through to Kaiba. Her entire consciousness centered around reaching him, now.

The computer booted up and Sonja watched it from the floor, eyes glazed and head slowly drooping.

"_Running Identity verification protocol, please state your name." _

"Sonja...Gavens...." Sonja gasped. The computer finished loading as Sonja finally collapsed on the floor, the sounds of the men attempting to reach her beginning to fade away with the coming darkness.

_"Sonja, are you all right? Sonja? Sonja!" _

But Sonja no longer heard the computer. She'd already lost consciousness from exhaustion.

//ooo//

Sonja yelled and coughed as a wave of water seemingly crashed over her. She sat up, gasping and looked around. She was still in the terminal, but she was alone. Upon looking up, she realized that the fire sprinklers were on.

"Hey, what-?" she yelled.

_"Sorry about that. I activated them to wake you up."_ the computer said. The sprinklers shut off and Sonja stood up, wringing her hair out.

"Gee, thanks." she muttered. "How long was I out?"

_"About an hour. I tried everything from fire alarms to downloading rap music, but you were out cold." _

"No surprise, seeing how I about killed myself trying to get away from those creeps." Sonja replied. She took a seat in one of the chairs to the left side of the wall and sighed. "Now what am I gonna do? They're probably still out there so I'm trapped."

_"You're right in saying they're still out there. Fortunately, my cameras are in perfect order and I'm monitoring them as we speak. I'm sorry to say that they're ransacking the house, searching for important documents. They won't find them. Seto made sure to upload everything of importance into my hard drives the minute of my completion and he still does so to this day. No hard copies exist, at the moment." _

"Isn't that dangerous? What if you crash or something?" Sonja asked.

_"Fortunately, my construction insures special industrial-strength protection software that guards all data from crashes. All I have to do is reboot." _

"I see."

Outside the door, she could hear it as the men tore the place apart and stared at the floor.

"This is my fault," she said. "I led them here."

_"It isn't your fault, Sonja. Do you know why they were chasing you?" _

"Not, really, no." Sonja admitted.

_"Simple. They were going to take you prisoner as a leverage to get Seto to agree to a business deal." _

Sonja scowled in disgust. "Those creeps. But thanks to me, they're causing even more trouble."

"_Don't worry so much about it. I've already sent out an automatic alarm to the authorities the minute you awoke. They'll be here, soon." _

Sonja folded her arms and sighed.

"He's going to be furious, I just know it." she muttered.

_"No, you don't know it. Do you think he'd be furious at you for protecting yourself? If he's going to mad at anything, it's those idiots still trying to pick the scanner lock on that magnetic door. This must be some deal." _

It was true; they were still trying and Sonja could hear them.

"I wonder how long they'll keep it up?" she said.

"_No way of knowing. In any case, you're safe enough here. By the way, I've been wanting to ask you. Has he said anything yet?" _

"Said anything? Like what?"

She could have sworn the computer started giggling.

_"Oh, nothing. Besides, you probably already know," _it said.

"Know what?"

"_Well, the-_"

Suddenly, the screen fizzled and Kaiba appeared on the web cam.

"What's going on?" he asked irritably. His eyes widened when he noticed that the image was inside the hidden terminal and that Sonja was there. She smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, Seto." she said. I'll be you're wondering why I'm in here. Interesting story behind that."

Kaiba frowned grimly.

"No need to tell me; I can guess." he grumbled. He sighed and stood up, reaching to turn the camera off. "I'm on my way back. Stay where you are, no matter what."

"But wait!" Sonja exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "Those creeps have been tearing the house apart searching for important documents. They might still be here!"

She could have sworn she saw him smile slightly.

"If I were worried about that, I'd have installed better security systems. Just stay there; I can handle myself."

Sonja was about to protest again, but he severed the connection and the screen went blank. She sat back down with a sigh.

_"Not to worry, my sensors indicate that all but one of those men have left. The authorities I summoned drove them off." _

"But still," Sonja said.

_"Stop fussing. He was right you know, he can handle his own. Don't worry so much. I have enough trouble with him, as it is, let alone you." _

"What's that mean?"

_"Whenever he comes in here to update my data files, he always starts mumbling to himself. Half the time I can't understand a thing he's saying, but sometimes, I'll catch things. For instance, five years ago, he went on and on about the trial. Yes, I do know about it. In fact, I've got transcribed copies stored away in my hard drive of the entire procedure. I was the one who located Robinson, you know." _

"Really?"

_" You bet. Seto specifically narrowed the search to find only the best lawyers in the state. Say what you want, but he does care about you." _

Sonja hummed and stared at the floor.

"That a fact," she murmured.

About ten minutes had passed before Sonja heard the clicking of the magnetic lock. Her pulse quickened, immediately going back to the thugs trying to break in. But the door slid open easily, meaning someone registered in the system had opened it. Kaiba stepped inside and scanned the room, immediately spotting Sonja.

"You're okay," he said. She got to her feet.

"Yeah, thanks to everything you showed me in case of trouble. But what about the other guy they left behind?"

"Taken care of," Kaiba said wryly. "I recognized him. He's an associate from Hemmingway Industries. They're a foreign rival company trying to get ahead in this country by leeching off of other industries. Apparently, kidnapping is pretty normal for their ranks."

"I'm just glad they didn't find anything that could have caused you trouble."

"I'm not worried about the documents at the moment," Kaiba said. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, I out-ran them. But thanks to me, they destroyed the place."

She gasped in surprise when he suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace. Her wildly beating heart betrayed how relieved she was to see him.

"Idiot, I already told you, I'm not worried about the house." he said, pushing her back and looking her straight in the eye. "Frederick Hemmingway isn't a quitter and he'll likely go after you again. It'll be either him or one of his flunkies. From now on, I'm not leaving you alone."

"You're worrying too much," Sonja tried to say.

"No, I'm not. Before Hemmingway Industries moved their headquarters to America, they were known throughout France and Great Britain for effectively silencing all competition, if you catch my drift."

Sonja visibly paled.

"Oh," she managed to say. "I see what you mean."

They left the terminal. Kaiba sighed and stared around at the mess his office had turned into. Sonja was downright horrified. Shelves were toppled over, the computer had been crushed, the window broken, and all the furniture upended.

"This is...." Sonja muttered. Kaiba made his way over to one of the bookshelves and worked it back upright with a sigh.

"Compared to what would have happened if they'd gotten into the terminal, the damage is minor." Kaiba said gravely. He gave her the most serious look she'd ever seen from him.

"For the first time, I'm also wondering if this isn't a good idea." he said, bending down and gathering up an armful of books. He set them in a neat pile on the floor to organize later.

"This is what they do to my home when they realize what they're after is out of their reach," he said, heaving another bookshelf back into position. " Now, seeing how determined they are, I can't help but fear what would have happened had they gotten what they wanted."

Sonja started sorting the books. Some of them had pages torn out.

"Well, they would probably have tried a takeover, right?" she ventured.

"Again, I wasn't talking about that." he said. "Listen, Sonja, if there's anything I've learned in five years of knowing you, it's that material possessions can be replaced or won back. It took awhile, but I've finally come to terms with that. If they'd gotten a hold of you...."

He trailed off, turning away to lift another shelf back into position. Sonja slowly assembled the books, separating the ones with pages torn out.

"You know," she muttered. Kaiba paused while studying the fourth shelf, smashed nearly in two. He glanced over at her.

"What?"

"Well, during the time I was getting away from them, all my old reflexes came back in an instant. I figure that even if I hadn't known about the secret passageways or the hidden terminal, I probably could have escaped. It's actually a little comforting knowing that a little of my street self never quite left me. But still...I'd rather not go through that again."

Kaiba frowned. What was she getting at?

Sonja continued to sort through the books.

"I'm really sorry," she muttered. "If I had run someplace else, they wouldn't have followed me here. I should have tried to hide somewhere and then come back when they were gone."

"Sonja, they would have come here, anyway." Kaiba said. But Sonja shook her head. She blamed herself for this whole mess.

Sonja sighed and picked up a small load of books. She carried them over to one of the shelves and started lining them up again.

"Why can't this be easier?" she muttered.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know exactly what I mean, Seto. All I want is to be with you. But that's just barely doable. Just take a look around; you had your home destroyed because of me. The press is trying to turn us into a tabloid scandal. I don't see how this could get any worse. Who knows what will happen next."

She resumed lining the books up on the shelf. Kaiba just watched her do this quietly. He figured she'd be stressed at this point. But he'd known of the risks involved. And she had a point. Why couldn't the world leave them alone? The answer was simple; he was world-renowned and the public loved so-called scandals. It was unfair, but it's what happened in the modern age. Besides, they'd both agreed that it couldn't stay a secret forever.

"Sonja," he started to say. But he was cut off at the sound of cartoon bells ringing from inside the terminal. They both exchanged confused glances.

"I was sure I'd turned it off," Kaiba said. He went over and opened up the secret room, stepping inside.

"What the?" he exclaimed. Now, they could hear words to the annoying chime:

_Email for Kaiba-boy! Email for Kaiba-boy!_

"What's that?" Sonja asked, peering inside the room.

"Apparently, I'd put it on standby by mistake." Kaiba muttered, opening the email if only to silence that irritating jingle. Instantly, Pegasus's face appeared on the screen, grinning.

"_Why hello there, my friends. Kaiba-boy, why didn't you answer the email I sent you to your computer?" _

"Long story," Kaiba said. "What do you want?"

"_Now, now, is that anyway to talk to the one who just guaranteed your romantic freedom from the press?" _

"Huh?"

Pegasus sighed dramatically.

"_I mean, it took less time than I thought. If all the strings I've pulled were connected right, you shouldn't be bothered anymore by those reporters!" _

Neither of them said anything and Sonja stared at the floor. Pegasus frowned.

"_Why the long faces? Isn't this what you wanted? Please don't tell me the two of you are already history!" _

"Relax," Kaiba snapped. He turned around. "Sonja, go and check your belongings. I'll explain what's going on."

Sonja seemed hesitant to leave, but did as she was told. She heard Kaiba telling Pegasus what had happened as she picked her way through the wreckage to leave. As she left the library, heading to the guest room, she heard a terrified shriek from the first floor.

"Sophie!" she yelled, whirling for the stairs and flying down them. She found Sophie and Mokuba standing inside the door gazing around at the destruction, horrified. Mokuba looked up at her, eyes wide.

"What the heck happened here!?" he exclaimed. Before Sonja could answer, Kaiba had appeared at the top of the stairs in response to Sophie's screaming. He spotted them standing at the door and relaxed a bit.

"Hey, Mokuba." he said dejectedly.

"Seto, what happened here?" Mokuba asked disbelievingly. "This place is totally trashed."

It was true. The front by the door wasn't as bad because there wasn't much there. But Mokuba recognized furniture from the back room adjoining the kitchen lying by the door with the end tables snapped clean in two.

"Sonja was attacked by some thugs from a rival company." Kaiba explained grimly. "She made it to the hidden terminal before they could catch her, but they resorted to tearing the place apart in search of important papers."

"Is that true, Sonja?" Mokuba asked. Sonja nodded, looking on the verge of tears again.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. Sophie put her arm around her sister's shoulders as Sonja started sobbing quietly.

Mokuba sighed and folded his arms. "I guess it can't be helped." he said.

"However," Kaiba continued. "I would like to point out there is some good news."

"Yeah?" Sophie said.

"We're finally safe from the reporters, courtesy of Pegasus." he said wryly. Mokuba's jaw dropped in shock.

"Pegasus!?" he exclaimed. "Why?"

"It wasn't like I had much choice in the matter." Kaiba grumbled. "But he's assured us it's safe for Sonja and Sophie to come out of hiding."

"Just in time for Christmas, hey, sis?" Sophie declared. Sonja forced a smile and nodded. Sophie nodded. "Yup, we still have to get a tree. What about you guys?" she said to Mokuba. Mokuba looked away with a lop-sided grin, folding his arms behind his back. Kaiba glared at him, as if daring him to do something.

"Well, there's a problem with that." Mokuba said.

"Mokuba," Kaiba growled warningly.

"Hey, it's not that big a deal. What's wrong?"

Kaiba didn't answer. He just sighed irritably.

"Well," Mokuba continued. "We do sorta celebrate Christmas, but we don't get a tree anymore, not for several years anyway."

"Why not?" Sophie asked.

"Seto's allergic to pine." Mokuba said. Sonja and Sophie both stared at him disbelievingly. Then Sonja turned to look at Kaiba who was staring at the ceiling with an angry look on his face.

"Uh," Sophie said. "How exactly does one be allergic to pine?"

"Dunno," Mokuba said with a shrug. "But when he was about thirteen, he went near the tree and turned red. The doctor said it was a mild allergic reaction to the pollen from pine needles, so we had to get rid of the tree."

"Mokuba, be quiet already. Having a rare allergic reaction is hardly something to brag about." Kaiba snapped.

Sonja chuckled and shook her head.

"No worries," she said. "You guys can come over and spend Christmas with us. I don't believe in using real trees, so I went and bought a plastic one a few years ago."

"Awesome!" Mokuba exclaimed. He sighed and folded his arms. "Well, I guess I'd better start helping clean this place up."

"I'll help!" Sophie volunteered. Sonja nodded.

"I'll go back to arranging the books," she said. "I've almost got their previous layout memorized."

She turned and headed back upstairs, followed closely by Sophie. Mokuba lagged behind and glanced at his brother.

"You were pretty worried about her, weren't you, Seto?" he said quietly. Kaiba frowned.

"Perhaps," he mumbled. Mokuba sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You can't hide things from me, Seto. I'm your brother." he said. "It's okay to admit it, you know."

And with that, he bounded up the stairs and into the library to scare the sisters out of their wits. Kaiba heard something heavy fall over and Mokuba yelling as Sophie presumably pinned him. Kaiba frowned. So he couldn't admit to her yet, he was positive she already knew.

But it still bothered him.

A/N: Yes, a lot happened in this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. In the meantime, I'm going to finish the next chapter, so look forward to the greatest fluff in this story ever!!! I'm so excited!!!


	14. Noel Blessings

A/N: Here it is! The ultimate fluff! Here is where all of your patience pays off, people! After this, everything changes!!! For the better or for the worse? Only I know!! (insert evil laughter)

Noel Blessings

Domino city was covered in a thick layer of snow. Fluffy white flakes tumbled gently from the heavens, blanketing the city in pure white. All around, people struggled to finish their Christmas shopping and loved every minute of it.

Three days had passed since the incident at the Kaiba manor. Sonja stood outside her shop with the old woman, Bernice from next door. Bernice's long silver hair blew in the wind, slowly undoing the tight braid. Her wrinkled old eyes sparkled at the snow coming down as she stood with Sonja. Sonja wore a red flannel jacket, her hair also braided. She smiled.

"Sure is beautiful." she said quietly.

"Yes, child." Bernice agreed. "It reminds me of my childhood in northern Michigan. Out of all my late family members, I was the only one who found such joy in snow."

"I understand. Dad always hated shoveling it from our walkway and mom complained of the utility costs. But I still love it."

"It's the color of your hair, Sonja." Bernice said. Sonja nodded, smiling.

"That it is. I was often teased in school because of it. But I still like it."

Bernice pulled her shawl closer to her shoulders. Sonja glanced at her concernedly.

"Are you cold, Bernice?" she asked.

"No, child, just chilly. I love cold weather. Yes, it makes my arthritis flare up, but it's so much easier to deal with than warm weather. Like I always say, you can always warm up, but cooling down is another matter altogether."

"Truer words were never spoken, Bernice." Sonja told her. Both of them winced at the sound of breaking glass inside Sonja's shop. They both sighed.

"Let me guess," Bernice said wryly. "Sandra."

"Yup."

Sandra leaned out the door with a sheepish look on her face.

"Sorry 'bout that! Dock it from my pay, okay?"

She ducked back inside.

"Jeez," Sonja muttered. "At the rate she's going, I'm gonna have a volunteer racket on my hands."

"I'd have to agree with you, dear," Bernice said. "Why do you keep her?"

But Sonja didn't answer and Bernice just smiled at the expression on Sonja's face. "I see," she said.

Later, back inside the warmth of her shop, Sonja gave Sandra a break. She'd been shocked to see that the entire store was virtually spotless, save for a few shards of broken glass Sandra had missed. Sonja figured that Sandra deserved it for once. So with the extra time, she logged online to see if her new pen pal was up for a chat. Turned out he was. They sometimes talked in an online search engine for finding people.

_M Ishtar: _**Good afternoon, Sonja. **

_SLG: _**Hey, Marik, how's it going? **

_M Ishtar: _**Pretty good. Did I tell you we're living in Cairo now?**

_SLG: _**No. I've heard it's nice there. After spending your whole life as a mole, it's got to be a nice change. **

_M Ishtar: _**. Very funny, Sonja. **

Sonja couldn't help it and burst out laughing at his response.

_SLG: _**Sorry, devil made me do it. Where did you learn emoticons? **

_M Ishtar: _**You'd be surprised how helpful the random people are around here. But you're right, much to my chagrin, it is a nice change. A little too warm, though. Anyway, how is everyone? **

_SLG: _**Pretty good. Joey actually fake arrested me the other day. Mai really chewed him out for it, though. Oh, and the fuss around here has died down just in time for Christmas. Oh shoot! **

_M Ishtar: _**What?!**

_SLG: _**I forgot to get you two something. Jeez. How could I be so absentminded? **

_M Ishtar: _**Stop worrying, it's not like it would get here in time anyway. Besides, we're too busy to celebrate this year. Ishizu's team discovered a new tomb and they're planning to open it next month. I'm afraid that the next few weeks are going to be spent in preparations. **

_SLG: _**Sorry to hear that. But I'm happy you guys have something to occupy your time. Hey, someone just came in. Gotta split. But try to come out here and visit once in a while. Even Joey was asking how you were when he found out we're pen pals now. **

_M Ishtar: _**I'm glad to hear I'm welcome, now. After all, I still have a lot to make up to them for everything I put them through. And thanks, Sonja, but we don't want to intrude. **

_SLG: _**Get real, we've got enough space to house an army. You guys get your butts out to visit or I'll fly out and personally escort you. **

_M Ishtar: _**Well, when you put it that way, I guess we'll take you up on that. I'll talk to you later.**

Sonja signed off and looked up at whoever came in a few seconds before. It was Sandra, standing there and leaning on the broom handle. She must have picked it up outside. She looked serious, for once. Sonja frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Sandra looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet.

"Can I talk to you?" she muttered. Sonja nodded once and motioned her into the back room. Sonja followed her and leaned against the cooler while Sandra sat down on the floor.

"Um," Sonja said, "You can sit on one of those boxes if you'd like."

"No," Sandra said, shaking her head slowly.

Several minutes passed. Sonja sensed that something was bugging the girl, so she didn't rush her. She just gently tugged a strand of hair hanging over her shoulder. Finally, Sandra cleared her throat.

"You probably already guessed what happened," she mumbled. "About the media?"

"Yeah, it seemed a little convenient, to say the least." Sonja said. Sandra nodded.

"My cousin works in the press industry. I sort of got her to pull some strings."

Sonja sighed. "I'm guessing you got the idea when Sophie accidentally let the cat out of the bag?"

"Yeah. But why didn't you tell me? You would've saved yourself a ton of grief."

Sonja frowned, giving her a look that suggested stupidity. Sandra stared at the ground. "You're right, I probably still would've done it. But when I saw what happened, I started thinking."

"About what?" Sonja asked gently. Sandra was trying to say something, but couldn't seem to find the words.

"Well, I started wondering if maybe you were right; that I didn't have a chance. I mean, who's to say I even belong in Domino? I should just go back to Seattle. I've caused enough damage here already and-"

Sonja went over and sat down beside her. Sandra jumped and stared at her.

"What the heck are you doing?" she exclaimed. Sonja smiled.

"Stop straining yourself, kid, I accept your apology." she said. Sandra went bright red and scowled.

"And whoever said I was apologizing to you, you floozy!?"

"Not the right term for this particular situation, kiddo." Sonja said bemusedly.

"I don't care," Sandra snapped, folding her arms. Sonja chuckled and stood up. She offered her hand to Sandra, who glared at her suspiciously.

"Come on," Sonja said. "Lets' get back to work, okay?"

Sandra hesitated, but grudgingly took her hand and Sonja pulled her up.

"Okay," she muttered. As she went back out into the front, Sonja sat at the counter and watched her a moment. For a few seconds, Sandra seemed a little more at ease. Perhaps she just needed some understanding discouragement. In any case, Sonja felt a little better, now.

//ooo//

The snow covered the ground to nearly half a foot. Kaiba had come over to visit Sonja and for the first time, Sandra hadn't freaked out at his presence, though she did freeze up completely when he came into the shop. She hurriedly went outside and slammed the door.

"She's better, now," Sonja told him. "I really think she gets the fact that it just isn't going to work."

"I'd hope so." Kaiba grumbled, glancing out the window where Sandra was peeking in from above the empty planter box. She lowered a bit, but didn't duck out of sight. Sonja sighed and shook her head.

"She's actually quite pleasant to be around, now."

"I'd find that hard to believe," Kaiba said. "But I suppose you'd know best."

"Maybe. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

Sonja hesitated. "Well, I was going downtown today to pick up some things in supply. I wanted to go and watch the ice skaters at that small copy of the New York outdoor skating rink they have there. Do you want to come with me?"

Kaiba blinked, thinking. Finally, he sighed. "Sure, why not? I don't have anything else to do at the moment."

"You could think of a better way of telling me that, don't you think?" Sonja grumbled. "Anyway, I'll be leaving soon. I'll meet you outside."

She went into the back room and Kaiba went outside. Instantly, Sandra jumped up, frozen solid and staring at him.

"U-u-uh, hello." she said quickly before ducking back inside. Kaiba just shook his head. Sandra was undoubtedly the weirdest kid he'd ever seen.

Sonja came outside a few minutes later. She'd braided her hair out of her face.

"All set," she said. She opened the door a crack. "Sandra, I'll be back in a little while. Hold down the fort till then, okay?"

"Sure," Sandra said.

Outside, the smell of snow was crisp in the air. Christmas was just two days away and everyone was busily preparing for it with last-minute shopping trips. As they made their way downtown, Sonja couldn't help but notice how little people were paying attention to them.

"Whatever Pegasus did," she said, "It's certainly effective."

"Surprising. I wouldn't expect it to last, however."

Sonja sighed. "You should have a little more faith in him. Whatever he was like six years ago, he seems okay, now."

"You're too tolerable of people." Kaiba muttered.

"No, it's Christmas and I happen to care about people." Sonja retorted.

Neither of them spoke again for a long time. By the time they reached eastern downtown of Domino, Sonja seemed to have forgotten about it.

She stopped in only one store just across from the ice rink she'd wanted to watch. After purchasing a few special seed packets, some new gardening tools and a small bag of plant food, she left the store.

"Okay, all set," she said. But as they were leaving, she continued to watch the skaters on the rink several yards away. Kaiba glanced at her.

"You said you wanted to watch," he reminded her.

"Well, yes, but-"

He gave her a gentle shove in that direction. Sonja gave him a sheepish grin and went over to the railing, watching the people on the ice. He stood next to her and sighed.

"You're pretty easy to read, you know." he said.

"I can't help it."

He noticed that she seemed to be thinking deeply about something. That was when it hit him what she was considering.

"You aren't serious." he said as she turned to the skate rental booth.

"Sure, why not? I haven't skated since I was little, but I still remember the basics." she said. He didn't bother to stop her. Once she set her mind to something, there was no un-setting it. After a few minutes, she appeared out on the ice and glided over.

"A little shaky," she said, nearly toppling over. "But it's coming back to me."

She pushed away from the rail and took to the ice. Kaiba watched rather uneasily, tensing for what he believed was an inevitable fall. But after a few seconds, she seemed to be catching her balance. After one round, she had complete and total grace on the ice. Out of all the skaters there, she had gained a little speed, but still managed to take the corners almost flawlessly. Watching her, Kaiba would never have believed her if she'd told him she hadn't skated in years. She looked perfectly at home on ice skates. He believed he'd found another instance in which she looked as happy awake as she did asleep. He was starting to realize that that metaphor might get her mad if he ever said anything so he kept it to himself.

After about ten more minutes, Sonja finally slowed to a stop by the gate and removed her skates. She exchanged them for her shoes at the rental shack and left the rink.

"That was so cool!" she exclaimed as she returned. She was noticeably wobbly on her feet and Kaiba raised an eyebrow. Sonja chuckled.

"Yeah, it's a side effect of being on skates. After you get used to them, you have to get used to walking again once you take them off." she explained. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Somehow, I doubt that's the case with everyone," he said.

"You get picky about the weirdest things," Sonja muttered.

"Lets' just get going, already," Kaiba grumbled. Sonja sighed and followed after him. Sometimes it was tiring just being around him and now was one of those times. At least, that was her opinion until he decided to say something rather unusual.

"You know," he mumbled, "You should keep that up."

"What? Skating?" she said, bewildered. He nodded.

"Why not? I was watching; you're pretty good at it." he said with a glance at her. Sonja looked away. "I'm not that good, Seto. All I can do is balance. There are people out there who can do awesome things on skates."

They both fell silent.

"Um," Sonja said after a little while. "You are coming over for Christmas, aren't you?"

"I don't know. I have a lot of work to finish," Kaiba said tonelessly.

"That's what you always say. Just take a break on Christmas for once." Sonja replied.

"I can't do that, Sonja."

"And why not?"

He didn't answer and Sonja sighed heavily. "I knew it. You're avoiding it."

"I'm not avoiding anything." Kaiba said irritably.

"Fine, then come over Christmas day."

Kaiba glared at her sharply and then sighed. "Fine." he grumbled. Sonja smiled and nodded.

"Thanks." she said. She glanced at her watch and grimaced. "Jeez, I'm late again."

"Late for what?"

"What do you mean 'for what'? I have to pick up Sophie! She has a dental appointment this afternoon and if I don't pick her up, she'll conveniently 'forget' about it. I have enough trouble just getting her to brush her teeth in the morning."

"And how on earth was I supposed to know that?" Kaiba grumbled.

"You weren't, because if you had, I'd be extremely disturbed and possibly want to avoid you for the next few years. See ya!"

And with that, she was off. Within minutes, she was lost to sight. Kaiba shook his head. Sometimes, her mood changes were as perplexing as many dueling strategies he'd come up with before and that was saying something.

He watched her go and then turned. He was about to leave when he heard someone calling his name and paused.

"Hey! Kaiba!"

He turned to his left. His eyes widened in surprise at who he saw approaching.

"Yugi?" he said. Yugi nodded.

"Yup. I saw you and Sonja, but she took off before I could call her, too."

"You've been out of state for a couple of months, now." Kaiba pointed out.

"Yeah," Yugi said, "Gramps was attending a big gaming convention in Idaho and the snow blocked all planes from leaving for a long time. Then, while we were waiting, I got roped into this big tournament in Boise."

"You'd better have won," Kaiba grumbled. He was still angry at Yugi winding up the better duelist.

" I know, I know. Don't worry, I won." Yugi assured him. "I came back, though when Joey told me what was going on out here. I take it things have settled down?"

"Typical of Wheeler to go on about things he has nothing to do with." Kaiba muttered. "But to answer your question, yes, things have cooled down as of late. But I can't say for certain how long it'll stay that way."

"So what exactly has been happening? I asked Joey, but he started ranting under his breath at mention of it, so I gave up trying."

"I'd rather not go into it either."

Yugi frowned and tilted his head.

"Does it have anything to do with Sonja, but any chance?" he asked. Kaiba bristled and glared in the other direction. Yugi sighed and shook his head.

"Come on, we've known each other for years. I'm not going to go on about it like Joey does, Kaiba." he said. Kaiba glowered at him.

"All right," he muttered. He told Yugi what had been going on lately and what all the fuss was about. Yugi listened, occasionally nodding his head. When Kaiba ended the story, Yugi hummed.

"I see," he said. " Is Sandra still around, then?"

"As far as I know," Kaiba replied. "But for the moment, Sonja wants us to come over Christmas morning."

"Do it," Yugi said. Kaiba just stared at him.

"What?"

"Come on, it's not difficult. You'll go visit on Christmas like she asked. Kaiba sighed and shook his head.

"You're impossible, Yugi." he muttered. He turned to go.

"Remember what I said, Kaiba!" Yugi called after him. But Kaiba wasn't so sure.

//ooo//

Christmas morning found Sonja sitting on the kitchen counter watching the snow fall. She had a mug of hot ginger tea in her hands and an afghan wrapped around her. It was still very early, but she couldn't help but feel excited. She'd been childishly unable to sleep the night before and had spent most of the night by the window. Besides, this would be the first year that he was coming over. In the past, it had always gotten awkward. Now, it was still awkward, but in a different way. Besides, he'd given her his word he'd be there and she was going to hold him to that.

The snow fell in powdery flakes, slowly coating the ground in a blanket of white. Sonja brushed her hair back from her face and sighed, leaning her head against the glass.

She heard the bedroom door open and recognized Sophie's footsteps. Her sister approached the counter, yawning.

"What are you doing up so early, sis?" she mumbled.

"I haven't been to bed," Sonja said quietly. "I couldn't sleep."

"Seriously? I thought you'd outgrown that." Sophie mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Sonja smiled at her.

"Go back to bed. It's still real early." she said. Sophie sighed.

"Yeah, sure." she muttered. Before she turned in the hallway, she glanced back at Sonja. She smiled. "He really makes you happy, doesn't he?" she said quietly. Sonja didn't appear to hear her so Sophie turned and went back into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her.

Sonja smiled.

"I suppose he does." she whispered.

//ooo//

Christmas was always a beautiful affair for Sonja. She always remembered the seasonal Christmas treats her mother used to make. Sonja didn't have the original recipes and she probably never would. Still, it never hurt to try to make them.

As she was airing out the smoke from the oven, her phone rang.

"Hello?" she choked, fanning it out with a towel.

"_Bad time?_"

"No," Sonja said breathlessly. "I just burnt some cookies, that's all. Are you still coming over."

On the other end, Kaiba winced. He sighed.

"Listen, Sonja, some huge orders came in today. I have to finish them." he said. There was silence on the other end.

"_That's fine, really," _Sonja said. He could tell she was trying to hide her disappointment. "_I screwed up most of the decorations anyway. Well, happy holidays, then." _

She hung up.

Sitting on the sofa and reading, Mokuba sighed.

"She was really looking forward to having us over, Seto." he said quietly. Kaiba typed furiously on the computer, knowing his brother was right. Mokuba set the book aside.

"Is there any possible way to still make it over today?" he asked.

Kaiba frowned, staring at the desk.

"No." he said finally. Mokuba gazed at the floor and sighed.

"Okay," he said. He got up and headed for the door. "I'll see you in a bit, Seto."

Kaiba watched him go and sighed. That was two people he'd disappointed. But work was work. There was no getting around it. He decided to think of ways to make it up to them, instead.

About twenty minutes later, however, the doors to his office flew open with a bang, making him jump in surprise. It was Ursula, dragging a bewildered Mokuba behind her. She had a magazine in her hand. She stalked over and before Kaiba could react, smacked him over the head with the magazine.

"Hey! Ursula, what the heck do you think you're doing?!" he yelled.

"Knocking some sense into that thick skull of yours!" Ursula retorted. "Mokuba told me what happened! Don't you dare disappoint that girl!"

Kaiba sighed irritably, rubbing his head where she'd clobbered him.

"Ursula, I can't help it." he growled. Ursula snatched his arm and yanked him away from his desk. She then proceeded to shove both of them toward the door.

"Honestly, you're as bad as your stepfather was," she snapped. Kaiba bristled angrily.

"Do _not_ compare me to him!" he snapped, grabbing the door and turning. Mokuba managed to evade Ursula's grasp.

"Idiot," Ursula said, "I'm talking about when _he _had work and disappointed his wife. I've been here long enough to know what to do with you idiotic Kaibas. I had to do to him what I just did to you on multiple occasions just to get it through his thick skull!"

"Will you cut it out?" Kaiba yelled. Ursula shoved him out the door along with Mokuba.

"I'll say it again, don't you dare disappoint that girl! You go down there this instant and take a holiday!"

"Ursula-"

"Don't 'Ursula' me! You're going to take Christmas off _for once_ and not come back here for twenty-four hours!"

Kaiba gave up. When Ursula was mad, it was best to do what she said. Besides, she'd smacked him pretty hard.

All the way down to the ground floor, Kaiba didn't say a word. Mokuba eventually started snickering.

"You know, that was pretty funny." he said.

"She still shouldn't have nailed me like that." Kaiba growled.

They found the car and Kaiba turned on the engine. Mokuba frowned.

"Wait, we didn't find a gift." he said. Kaiba paused. Mokuba was right. He hummed in thought as he pulled out of the garage.

"Maybe not," he said. "I have an idea."

//ooo//

Still disappointed, Sonja did her best to seem like nothing was wrong. Instead, she wrapped everyone's gifts in pieces of velvet so the wrapping could be reused the next year. Once they were all wrapped, it was already evening. She turned to Sophie who was sitting on the couch and watching a movie with Daichi.

"Hey, Sophie, do you want to help me take these to their people?" she asked. Sophie sat up.

"Sure."

Leaving Daichi to finish the movie, Sophie bundled up and helped Sonja gather the gifts into the red plastic toboggan that Sonja had purchased at a garage sale for next to nothing. After bidding Arika and Daichi farewell, they set out into the snow. Sonja pulled the toboggan while Sophie cleared the path of sticks and rocks.

"Who's first?" she asked.

"Yugi and Joey." Sonja said. "They're closest and I think that most of the gang are spending Christmas with the Motos, seeing as Yugi just got back into town a couple of days ago."

Sonja was right; everyone but Joey was visiting Yugi. Tea told her that he had been there, but been called away on an emergency break-in call ten minutes prior to their arrival. Sonja explained that they couldn't stay long, so Yugi invited them in to give everyone their gifts. Yugi was delighted with the new card box carved with his initials and immediately placed his deck inside it. Mai and tea adored their gifts and Mai put the earrings on right away.

"Sonja, the next time I go shopping, you're coming with, no questions asked," she said, admiring them in the mirror. "You know my style better than I do."

Tristan complained under his breath when Sonja told him the reason she'd bought him an alarm clock, but he thanked her all the same.

Joey stumbled in a few minutes later growling about a false alarm. Sonja presented him with his gift of the chocolate covered cashews.

"All right!" Joey proclaimed, punching the air, "My favorite snack!"

As she was about to leave, Yugi stopped her and handed her and Sophie two boxes.

"We all chipped in an got you guys something," he said. "Open it."

Sonja and Sophie exchanged glances and opened their unwrapped boxes. When Yugi saw the insides of the boxes, however, his face fell and he glared at Joey.

"Um," Sonja said. "What's this?"

Inside the box was a piece of paper with a smiley face drawn on it. Sophie's had a similar one. They exchanged glances and promptly traded boxes, trying to figure out what they were and wondering if maybe Yugi had handed the wrong gifts to them. Yugi sighed and turned to Joey.

"Okay, what did you do with the real gifts?" he grumbled. Joey snickered madly.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. But girls, that right there is my feelings for you!"

Sonja and Sophie just stared. Joey sighed.

"I guess I lost. Oh well."

He went over to the end table by Yugi's couch and reached behind it. He pulled out two shapeless objects wrapped in newspaper comics.

"Here, these are the real presents." he said. He took the empty boxes and handed them their gifts. Sonja nodded to Sophie who carefully removed the wrapping. She gasped.

"Oh, they're so cute!" she exclaimed. It was a big snow globe with a knotted silver-plated base. Inside was a miniature beach complete with melted glass water, palm trees and two little hermit crabs sitting in the center.

"Tea helped me pick that out," Yugi said. "We kinda figured you like cute things."

"I love cute things!" Sophie reiterated. She turned to Sonja. "Now open yours, sis!"

Sonja removed the wrapping paper, curious. Her eyes widened at the sight of a little cat statue with gleaming sapphire eyes. In its mouth, it held a pair of silver earrings, each containing a sapphire.

"That is your birthstone, isn't it?" Yugi ventured. "Mai and Tea both helped me with this one."

Sonja smiled and nodded. "It's beautiful Yugi. Thank you all so much."

"Aw," Joey said, "You're always nice to us, so we figured you deserved it. But what I don't understand is how someone as nice and friendly as you ended up with a creep like Kaiba."

This earned him a well-rounded smack on the head from Mai.

"Be quiet, Joey. You're hardly one to talk." she grumbled.

Sonja laughed and picked up the velvet she'd wrapped the gifts in. She wrapped her own gift tightly into the velvet to protect it and turned her collar up.

"We'd better get going," she said. "It's getting late, now."

"Okay," Tea said, "Thanks for coming over."

"Yeah, Merry Christmas!" Yugi called after them. Sophie waved and closed the door behind them as Sonja took hold of the toboggan's ropes. Sophie sighed and stretched.

"Nice Christmas." she said. Sonja sighed.

"I just wish it could have been better. You know, a nicer dinner than grilled cheese with cranberry sauce. Maybe some nicer ornaments for the tree and a present for you that you've been wanting all year."

"Stop beating yourself up, Sonja, we can't afford those things and that isn't your fault."

"But mom always put together the greatest Christmases with little money. I just want to be able to do the same thing." Sonja said, trudging through the deep snow. She was still a little depressed. Sophie sighed and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Mom had years of experience, Sonni. Only in the last five years alone have we even been able to _have_ Christmas. Before that, our Christmas consisted of special treats you stole, like candy canes or Christmas cookies."

"That's just it; I stole them." Sonja muttered.

"You didn't have a choice. We would have starved if it weren't for you stealing what little we got to eat each day." Sophie said firmly.

"Christmas is about spending time with those you love," Sonja said. "I only wanted you to be happy."

Sophie just stared at her sister. She stopped as Sonja kept going for a few steps.

"Sonja, was Mr. Kaiba coming over?" Sophie asked. Sonja stopped. Sophie could see the trails of steam from where her sister breathed.

"No, he wasn't." Sonja muttered. Sophie watched, downcast as Sonja started forward again, dragging the toboggan behind her. She sighed.

"Sis," she muttered. But she said nothing more and followed quickly.

Back at the shop, Sonja stuck the toboggan beneath the stairs. Then, she and Sophie hurried up them, as the snow was beginning to come down even harder than before. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, brushing the snow from her hair. She took her coat off and set it on the door rack behind her.

"I'll make some tea," she said quietly.

"Don't bother, we already did." a familiar voice said. Sonja froze and looked up. Mokuba sat at the table and Kaiba stood staring out the window. He turned when they came in and smiled slightly.

"Took you long enough to get back," he said. Sonja just stared.

"But-but you said-"

"Hey, come on!" Mokuba interrupted. "You invited us over for Christmas! Lets' break out the Christmas movies!"

"Yeah!" Sophie chimed in. "I call dibs on remote!"

"Well I call dibs on the movie we watch!"

"Aw, no fair Mokuba, you picked it last time!"

Sonja glanced at Kaiba briefly before moving to the stove. Kaiba had been right. One of them had made some tea already. She wondered where Arika and Daichi had gone off to, though.

"Sonja," Kaiba said. She turned.

"Yeah?"

But before Kaiba could say anything, Mokuba and Sophie started yelling at them to come over. Sonja shrugged helplessly and turned, clapping her hands.

"Hold it, hold it!" she said. "First, I have yours and Sophie's Christmas gifts!" she announced. She went and opened up the cupboard above the fridge and took down the Dungeon Dice Monsters game. Mokuba and Sophie both gasped and Sophie shrieked in delight.

"I love that game! Duke is so cute and he created such an awesome game!"

"I thought you and Daichi were an item." Mokuba added in.

"Just because I'm dating someone doesn't mean I can't comment on someone else's cuteness ratio." Sophie said as-a-matter-of-factly. Then she grinned at Sonja.

"What about Mr. Kaiba's gift? I saw you wrap it earlier." she said. Sonja hesitated and hummed.

"Well, I have to find it, first." she said. Sophie sighed and grabbed the game and Mokuba's arm.

"Lets' go," she said. "She'll never give it to him as long as we're in the room."

"But-but, hey!" Mokuba whined. But Sophie dragged him into the next room and slammed the door. Sonja scowled at the wall and silently cursed her sister. This was the last thing she needed right now.

"Um," she said. "Would you like to sit down?"

Kaiba went around her and sat down on the sofa, staring at the wall absently. His gaze shifted to the tree as Sonja rifled through the cupboard above the fridge. Sonja noticed.

"I told you, I don't use real trees." she said.

"That's good," he replied. He still remembered the day they'd discovered his unusual allergy. Gozuborou hadn't believed it at first. Fortunately, the family doctor had provided enough evidence that pine allergies really existed. His only caution was to keep Kaiba away from pine needles and pollen. Fortunately, his reaction had been minor, but it was still irritating.

Sonja came back over with a silver case of some kind in her hands. Kaiba remembered seeing it the night she was mugged. Now he knew who it was for. She sat down beside him and handed it to him.

"The wrapping tore while I was getting it down," she explained. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of what to get you."

Kaiba examined it a second before undoing the latches and opening it up. He was surprised to see that it was a brand new portable tool kit. He scanned through it, seeing what kinds of tools it contained. He was aware of Sonja watching him anxiously for a reaction. He looked at her and smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Sonja," he said. "Believe me, I'll definitely be able to use this."

She sighed in relief. "That's good. I fussed for a week about what I could get you."

Kaiba closed the kit and set it beside him. He started to say something and then hesitated.

"Sonja," he said quietly, "I have something for you, as well."

Sonja blinked in surprise.

"What is it?"

"Turn around." he instructed simply. Sonja frowned in confusion, but did as she was told and turned to face the other side. She heard him shuffling around.

"Sonja," he said, "I'm hoping that this thing will say what I'm still unable to at the moment."

Sonja drew a quick breath as he reached over her head to fasten some kind of chain around her neck. He secured the latch and then gently pulled her hair up over the chain. Sonja looked down at the little pendant. It was a small locket about the size of a nickel, intricately designed in a heart shape with a silver wreath of icy encircling it. She opened it up. There was a minute inscription inside it.

"It says 'Forever'." she said. "Seto, it's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it. Recently, I was going through some boxes in the attic. I remembered that I'd salvaged that from my old home after my parents died. It's all I had left of my mother."

Sonja just stared disbelievingly.

"Then, are you sure you want to give it away?" she said.

"Sonja, it was given to her by my real father. Obviously, that's what it's intended for."

Over in the hallway, Mokuba gave Sophie a silent thumbs up. They quietly sneaked back into the other room and shut the door.

"That's so cute!" Sophie chimed.

"I know. I remember that old pendant." Mokuba said.

"You saw your mom wearing it?"

"No, she died when I was born. But I remember seeing it in dad's things before he died, and then Seto holding it now and then at the orphanage. I never knew where he hid it all those years. Knowing him, he probably buried it."

Sophie giggled.

"I have a distinct feeling that I'm going to have a brother, soon." she said slyly.

"All right! We're gonna be siblings!" Mokuba exclaimed. Sophie clapped a hand over his mouth, shushing him.

"Quiet! Don't jinx it!" she hissed.

"Aw, come on," Mokuba said, pushing her away, "That locket is proof he loves her. Sure, he's having difficulty actually saying it, but what's important is that she gets it."

"Yeah, you're right. But still, if we could be siblings, that would so totally rock!"

They took out the dice monsters game and set it up.

Outside, Kaiba stared at the wall and Sonja sat quietly picking at the fabric of her shirt.

"Well," she said. But she didn't continue. Kaiba glanced at her briefly, but said nothing.

Sonja shifted position so she was leaning against him. He jumped a bit, slightly surprised.

"Sorry," she said.

"No, it's fine." he replied. Sonja hesitated and leaned against him again.

"So," she said, "Why did you change your mind?"

Kaiba sighed. "I didn't have much of a choice, Sonja." he grumbled.

"I...see." Sonja said. Kaiba scowled when he realized what he'd said probably sounded like.

"However," he said, "I'm glad I came over."

"That's good," she said.

The house was quiet except for the wind outside and the sound of Sophie and Mokuba arguing in the next room. Again, she wondered where Arika and Daichi had gone.

"Sonja," Kaiba said, "Do you remember that trip I told you I'd planned?"

"Yeah,"

"It's next month."

Sonja hesitated before answering. "Um, okay."

"What's wrong?"

Sonja looked up at him. "I just don't know about that trip. I mean, we're going back to where I used to live," she said.

"If anything is going to help you get over Allan, accepting your past will help." he said.

"I just don't know about that." Sonja said. "I really don't think it's for the best."

"Sonja, Allan still controls you. You have to sever those ties if you want to move on."

She glanced at him skeptically, but sighed.

"I guess it's worth a shot." she said. She looked at him, smiling slightly. "Thanks."

There is was again, that same feeling from last time of being drawn toward each other as their eyes met. Everything seemed to disappear as time seemingly slowed down. All of those dumb cliches were true. This time, everything felt right as their lips finally touched in that first awkward kiss. Another as-proved cliché, after what seemed like forever was only a few seconds, they slowly moved away from each other and Sonja quickly stared at the floor.

"Um," she said, embarrassed. He was equally in the same state, but somehow, it felt all right. The thing was, what was supposed to happen, now?

"Sorry," he heard himself saying. Sonja didn't look at him.

"For what?" she mumbled.

"For...well, what just happened." he replied.

"You...think I'm...upset about it?" she said even more quietly. He glanced at her curiously.

"You mean you aren't?" he said. Sonja shrugged.

"If you're worried about what happened last time, it wasn't like that."

"Oh. I see." he said simply. Brilliant.

Neither one spoke for several minutes.

"This is actually a first," Sonja said, finally. He looked over at her.

"Sonja, you mean you've never...?" he trailed off into space. She shook her head.

"No. Been too busy running for my life. Besides, you know what happened. Can you blame me? But what about you?"

Kaiba stared at the wall, a habit, much to his chagrin, he was beginning to form whenever uncomfortable situations arose.

"No," he said.

"Why not?" Sonja asked, genuinely curious.

"Never had the time, nor the interest, that is, until now."

Sonja blinked and looked down at the floor. "I see." she said. "Unexplored ground for both of us. I just wish it hadn't taken five years, though. In fact, I wish it hadn't taken ten years."

"What do you mean by that?" Kaiba asked her quietly. To his surprise, she moved closer and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I wish we could have known each other when we were kids, Seto. We both had miserable childhoods. Maybe if we'd been friends, it would have been easier for both of us to deal with."

He pondered on this for a little while. She had a bit of a point. What _if_ they'd been friends growing up? Would things have turned out any different than they were, now? But then again, his parents had died and hers had vanished. If they'd both ended up at the same orphanage and if things had happened the way they had, Gozuborou would still have taken him away from her. They'd still have been separated for eight more years until a possible reunion at Domino High. It was something to think about, but it was impossible to imagine. Besides, he was content with the way things were, now.

He turned his head to glance out the window. His eyes widened slightly and he nudged her.

"Sonja," he said, "It's snowing again."

Sonja turned to look out the window and smiled.

"Yeah," she said, "It is."

They both fell silent. Sonja snuggled against him and sighed. "You know something?" she said.

"Hm?"

"I think I love you."

He blinked in surprise and looked down at her curiously. But he smiled slightly.

"I think I love you too, Sonja."

She smiled, chuckling slightly as she closed her eyes.

Outside, it was blisteringly cold. But for all of Nature's fury, it didn't matter. The final step had at last been cleared. At the moment, nothing mattered anymore.

A/N: I fussed so much over that first kiss. But Cauryn and I both agree that cheesy as it may be, it works. At least, I hope it does. Please review and let me know what you think.


	15. New Promises

A/N: Here's the new chapter. Sorry it took so long. I'm in Washington right now and working out some weird things. Elwyn, I hope everything is going well!! This chapter is for you because there's some nice fluff here!

New Promises

Sonja unfolded the newspaper and yawned, picking a piece of toast off the plate and sticking it between her teeth. She turned a page and sighed.

"Tyfical," she said through a mouthful of toast, " A new tax has been billed."

She bit into the toast and let it drop into her hand. "What are they going to do next?"

She looked up at a loud yawn from the hallway as Arika made her way in, finally walking rather clumsily without her crutches.

"Morning, Sonja," she said. "Up long?"

"Just long enough to make some toast and read the daily doom and gloom. How'd you sleep?"

"Not so good," Arika yawned, picking up a piece of toast. Her eyes weren't open all the way. "I kept dreaming that Daichi was dancing around in a grass skirt. What about you? Any weird dreams?"

Sonja shook her head.

"Nope. None whatsoever." she replied, turning to the classifieds. She was telling the truth, too. Lately, she'd been having no dreams at all, not even any night terrors. She'd been getting fully rested nights for the past couple of weeks.

Arika hummed and sucked the toast into her mouth, chewing a little ways into it as she went.

"Hm," she said. She swallowed. "By the way, did you ever look through that green suitcase?"

"No, haven't thought of it for a while." Sonja answered. Arika sighed and stretched her upper torso out over the table surface, nudging the plate of toast.

"Sonja," she whined, "I went through a lot of trouble to retrieve that stuff. Please say you'll look through it sometime today?"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise. By the way, whatever happened to that apartment you guys were going for? It's been a few months, now."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to tell you about that. The guy we were leasing from went and cut us out of the deal. The apartment went to some old lady from Australia."

"Australia?"

"Yeah, you know that tiny country in Europe?" Arika said. Sonja sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Arika, that's Austria. They're two different places." she groaned.

"I didn't know that." Arika exclaimed, genuinely surprised. Sonja just shook her head. She set the paper down and stood up. "I'm going to get dressed," she said, heading for the bedroom. While she changed into her winter clothes, she glanced at the calendar. Christmas was two days ago. Soon, it was going to be New Years'. Kaiba had told her about their upcoming trip to Nara, her old home town. While she'd originally told everyone she lived in Osaka, she had actually been born and raised as a Japanese American in Nara. Since her parents were from America and raised her in Western cultures, she liked to believe herself to be American even though she was technically Japanese. She wasn't anxious to see her home town again. However, Kaiba insisted that it would help her to forget everything Allan had put her through. Sonja suspected there was another motive, but she knew better than to ask.

She finished dressing and braided her hair. Then she opened the curtains of her room, only to see that it was snowing heavily again. The city was covered in a blanket of pure white. If she went out wearing white, you'd never tell she was there. This was one reason Sonja chose not to wear white in the winter. She vaguely wondered what the weather was like back in Nara. She supposed she'd find out soon enough. Maybe she should ask him about it. It wouldn't hurt, would it?

Back in the kitchen, she found Arika sound asleep at the kitchen table and Daichi going through the cabinets. He glanced up as she came in.

"Hey, Sonja." he muttered. Sonja was beginning to keep track of how many words he said to her. So far, his record was twenty in a single sentence.

"Hey, Daichi." she answered. "What are you looking for?"

At this, Daichi cleared his throat and shut the cabinet. He shoved his hands in his coat pocket and stepped outside the door, closing it gently behind him. Arika heaved herself up and yawned widely.

"He was looking for his cigarettes, Sonja," she explained.

"What? He smokes?" Sonja said. "Huh. I'd never have guessed. He hides it well."

"He should be. I've been hiding them from him. He hasn't lit up in weeks and up until recently, he was doing just fine cold turkey. But he started up again for some reason."

"Well, I hope you hid them well. Sophie has a touch of asthma when she's around smoke."

"Don't worry, I hid them in the last place he'd think to look-his own suitcase." Arika laughed. Sonja smiled, in spite of herself. She looked up suddenly when Daichi started knocking on the door window, motioning for her to come outside. She frowned.

"Hm. Wonder what he wants." she mumbled. She went over, opened the door and stepped out into the cold morning air. Her breath turned into steam as she talked.

"What's up?" she asked. Daichi sighed, fidgeting from the cold.

"I assume Arika told you," he grumbled.

"About you looking for your cigarettes? Yeah, she told me. She also told me you quit and started back up again. Why? Is something wrong?"

He glanced to the side uncomfortably. "You could say that." he grumbled. Sonja rolled her eyes and took his arm.

"Come on, you can tell me downstairs. I have to turn on the heaters anyway or my plants will freeze."

She dragged him down into the shop and plopped him against the counter while she switched on the portable heaters. Their metallic frames slowly began to glow a warm, inviting orange as they heated up. Sonja rubbed her hands together and sighed.

"That's better. Now, what's on your mind?"

Daichi scratched his head, staring at the ground.

"It's...," he started, "It's about Sophie."

Sonja frowned suspiciously and Daichi quickly shook his hands back and forth, panicking. "No! No, I didn't do anything to her, I swear!" he said.

"You'd better not have, or I'll hang you by your thumbs." Sonja growled. "So what about her?"

"You already know we're, you know, dating, right?"

"Yeah, go on."

"Well...um...."

Sonja sighed, growing frustrated. "Spit it out! What's wrong?"

Daichi sighed in defeat, his shoulders sagging.

"What kinds of things does she like to do!?" he blurted out. Sonja just stared.

"Pardon?" she said.

"Listen," Daichi said, "You already know the two of us are kinda dating, right?"

"Yeah." Sonja replied. "Don't tell me; you want to know what she enjoys doing, right?"

Daichi's shoulders sagged. "Yeah." he mumbled. "We never really do much of anything. I kind of want to surprise her somehow."

Sonja sighed and shook her head. "Well, I am shocked that you're finally speaking to me in complete sentences, but I suppose I can help you. Lets' see...things Sophie likes to do...Ah! I got it!" she exclaimed. "There's a winter fair coming to town next week, but I'm not going to be here for several days, otherwise I'd take her. But something tells me you've got a better tolerance for those gut-wrenching old rides they've got dating back to the stone age. Am I right?"

Daichi grinned and nodded.

"I can take her to that?" he said. Sonja nodded.

"Sure. I always get bored at those things because I just can't stomach them. I hope you guys have fun, though."

Daichi nodded.

"Oh, by the way," he said suddenly, "Sonja, where are you going for so long next week?"

Sonja glanced down at the floor and cleared her throat.

"Oh," Daichi muttered, "Sorry, I guess it wasn't my place to ask."

"No, no, it's fine. I'm just going home, that's all." Sonja said quickly. Then she shoved past him and hurried outside, leaving him to stare after her curiously.

//ooo//

That evening, Sonja had cocooned herself into her green blanket on the sofa. It was completely dark and everyone in the house was dead asleep. She, however, was wide awake. Deep inside her blanket, her eyes stared hard into the darkness, deep in thought. The trip was just four days away. She was actually going back home. Kaiba had told her that they were going to retrace her steps through her old neighborhoods so she could come to terms with everything. She'd always thought she had a good hold on her emotions. Apparently, it wasn't good enough. Somehow, he'd noticed.

"I just wish he'd understand that I really don't want to go back." she whispered.

//ooo//

Kaiba sat at his desk, staring at a string of emails from Damon. He had to give the guy credit for persistence. Kaiba didn't even bother to reply anymore. Damon kept himself busy by answering his own questions half the time and forgetting the rest the other half of the time. Finally, he interrupted Damon's story of Sophie spilling grape juice all over the white bedsheets.

_SetoKaiba: _**Damon, you do realize we'll be coming out in four days. I'd like to discuss something with you when we meet.**

_DamonGavens:_** I'm game. Just remember what I said. **

_SetoKaiba: _**And what was that, exactly? **

_DamonGavens: _**You remember. I'd bet you do, kid. I'll see you guys in four days and you'd better have been telling the truth. **

_SetoKaiba: _**Not this again. Come on, I'm telling the truth! **

Damon had already logged off. Kaiba sighed and shut down his computer. He stared down at his desk, deep in thought. Ever since Christmas, he'd been more concerned about Sonja than ever. As the trip drew nearer, she seemed to grow more depressed. He was starting to wonder if this really was a good idea.

He glanced at the clock and shut down his computer. He figured maybe he'd pay her a visit. Thinking about the upcoming trip just made him anxious.

He was about to leave when the phone beeped and one of the secretaries appeared on the screen.

"What is it?" he asked.

"_There's a man calling from Monte Carlo." _she replied. Kaiba felt his pulse quicken. That was the prison Allan was being held in. Was it possible that monster had escaped and was after Sonja, again?

"Put him through." Kaiba said, barely keeping his voice calm. He picked up the receiver and waited.

"_Hello?"_ a man on the other end said. There was no video web-cam where this man was calling from. He had a gruff no-nonsense voice.

"This is Seto Kaiba. Has something happened?" Kaiba asked. He knew that if Allan had escaped, he'd likely head to wherever Sonja was in the hopes of killing her, or worse. But first, he'd have to make it past Kaiba.

"_Nothing of immense importance,"_ the man said. Kaiba closed his eyes in relief and unclenched his fist.

"Then what's going on?" he asked.

_"You requested to be informed whenever we made changes with Mr. Muggs' containment. Recently, we've had some issues concerning him." _

"Issues?"

_"Yes. He continues to say the name of some girl in his sleep and attacked one of our female guards, all the while calling her by that name. I think it was Samantha, or something." _

"Sonja," Kaiba gritted out.

_"Yes, that's it. Anyway, we've moved him into our maximum security units. He shouldn't __be able to cause trouble there. I just called to let you know." _

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Kaiba lied. He hung up and sighed. Allan was still nursing his vendetta against Sonja. He blamed her for everything that had happened to him. It wasn't right because it was thanks to his horrendous treatment of her that she retaliated. He almost regretted stopping her from killing him. If Allan ever managed to escape, Sonja would be in grave danger. Thinking about this caused him unreasonable worry, but he forced it back. He decided he'd visit her and try to forget about this disturbing news.

He found her sitting inside the shop typing busily on her computer. When he came inside, she looked up and smiled.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked. But she paused when she saw his serious expression. She frowned concernedly. "Is something wrong?" she asked. Kaiba didn't reply. Should he tell her what that guard had said about Allan? How would she react? She'd been doing so well lately, no panic attacks or night terrors that he knew of.

Sonja got to her feet and approached slowly. She cautiously reached out and touched his arm. "Seto? You're kinda scaring me. Are you okay?"

He blinked and glanced down at her. He sighed and looked away. "I'm fine, Sonja," he said quietly. "But there is something I need to talk to you about."

"What?" she asked.

Kaiba wasn't sure where to begin. He knew that not telling her would only mean she'd find out from someplace else and either get mad or upset. He figured that hearing it from him was her best option.

"Listen," he said carefully, "I got a call from Monte Carlo about Allan."

He could only watch as her eyes widened in horror and her face visibly whitened. But to his surprise, she responded quite calmly.

"You did? What about?" she asked. But she turned suddenly, fidgety. "You know what, lets' go upstairs. Arika went shopping for me and Sophie and Daichi went out for a bit, so we can talk more easily."

He could see she was resisting anxiety as she led him upstairs. She dropped the key twice before actually unlocking the door. She went inside and busied herself with the kettle, boiling water for tea. He stood behind a chair, watching her. He knew what to do if her anxiety got out of control, but he could see she was handling it admirably well. But just as that thought crossed his mind, the kettle filled with hot water suddenly crashed to the floor with a bang, spilling its contents everywhere. Sonja made an odd croaking noise and bent down to retrieve the kettle. Now, she was struggling.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I'll fix this."

She threw the kettle into the sink and quickly mopped up the water with a towel she had hanging from the oven handle. Concerned, Kaiba carefully made his way over and knelt down.

"Sonja, are you okay?" he asked. Sonja stared at the floor.

"Fine," she said, "I'm fine. Just, what were you going to say?"

She continued to mop up the water, possibly aware that there was nothing left to mop up.

"Listen," Kaiba said firmly, "There's nothing to be afraid of. Allan's been moved into a maximum security unit."

To his surprise, Sonja scowled bitterly.

"What for?" she asked. Kaiba blinked.

"What?"

"Don't patronize me!" Sonja snapped. She was getting defensive again. He'd begun to believe that this was a mental safety measure she'd probably never be rid of completely.

"I'm not, Sonja." he insisted.

"Then tell me why he's been moved." Sonja said fiercely.

"Because he says your name in his sleep and attacked a guard, calling her by your name." Kaiba said bluntly. Sonja processed this information. For a minute, Kaiba was under the impression her mind had broken, she was so quiet. But she turned and glanced at the floor. "I see." she said. "I guess he's still considering me at fault for everything."

She got up and went over to the sink, washing the kettle absently. Kaiba stood next to her, just watching. Her movements were slow and precise. Neither of them spoke for some time. Finally, Sonja shut the water off and left the kettle upside down in the sink. She balled both of her hands on the rim of the sink and stared out the window passively.

"You'd think I'd be used to this by now." she mumbled.

"I don't think so," Kaiba replied. "Why would you?"

"I'm guessing you don't know what happened a few nights ago, then." Sonja said, abruptly changing the subject.

"What?"

"I had another night terror. This one was so bad that Sophie found me on the roof with a cleaver, again. But this time, she couldn't calm me down, or wake me up. I took a swing at her. She dodged, thankfully and managed to get the thing away from me. But she was forced to leave me up there because I still tried to attack her whenever she touched me."

Kaiba was stunned. Had they been getting worse without him knowing?

Sonja turned to face him. Her eyes were glazed over with what appeared to be fatigue.

"Can I ask you something?" she said."If I suddenly vanished off the face of the earth, what would you do?"

Kaiba's eyes widened. What the heck had brought this on? Was she finally losing it? He frowned.

"Nothing. That isn't going to happen." he told her. Sonja sagged slightly and then slowly leaned against him, her breathing uneven. She was trying not to cry. By avoiding her usual defensive barrier and trying to act like she didn't care, she'd taken a weird turn of emotions. He gave in and held her tightly, still worried about what he'd heard, but reassured by the facts that she'd taken it well and that Allan was still locked up tight.

"I can't help it," she muttered, "I'm so scared I can't sleep. And when I do sleep, I get night terrors. I know he's out of my life and can't hurt me anymore, but I still can't seem to accept that."

"I know," Kaiba said. "That's why we're going to Nara. Hopefully, by walking through the same paths from your childhood, you'll come to terms with the present situation."

"Just don't leave me, okay?" Sonja mumbled.

He gently pushed her back and stared at her curiously. "Why would I?" he asked.

"I don't know. But for some reason, I keep getting the feeling like I'm causing too much trouble and that you're going to leave. If you did, I-I don't know what I'd do, then."

Surprised by how strongly he felt for her, he could only brush her hair from her face before answering. "I'm not going anywhere." he told her.

Sonja smiled in relief. "That's good. Glad to hear it." she said. "You know, if someone had told me five years ago that by this point, I'd have come to love you, I'd have told them they were nuts."

Kaiba smirked. "You sure didn't like me, did you?" he said. "That reminds me, you said that I reminded you of Allan. Why, exactly?"

Sonja glanced away pensively. "When we first met, you seemed pretty cold. I don't remember my exact reasoning anymore and I'm glad I don't. I know now that despite your outer appearance, you're a very considerate and gentle person. It's thanks to you that I have a life. If I hadn't met you, I'd probably be dead, now. You protected me from Allan."

With a jolt, Kaiba realized that she was right. Even before he knew what she'd gone through before meeting him, Allan had still been chasing her relentlessly. When he finally caught up with her, he _had_ almost killed her. But if they hadn't met, Sonja would still be running and at this point, she might have given up. Fortunately, there was no way of knowing what might have happened and he was perfectly content to keep it that way. He loved Sonja. He probably had for several years, even. He also remembered her story and knew that she still suffered, despite everything that he and everyone else had done to help her. She could hide it all she wanted, but he'd always be able to see it. Thanks to that monster, she'd never truly be normal again.

Sonja sighed. "But, thanks to you, it's all over now. No matter what Allan does while in prison, he's still locked up and I'm still free. I'll never be able to pay you back for everything you've done for me, Seto."

They both fell quiet. The silence wasn't awkward, though. This was a rare moment in which both knew that no words had to be said. It was just a simple, single moment of time that seemed to last for an eternity and passed as quickly as a thought. Nothing more was needed.

//ooo//

The day before the trip to Nara, Sonja was a bundle of nerves. She really didn't want to go back, but she knew that once Kaiba made up his mind, there was no un-making it. Besides, she trusted whatever he had planned. He rarely steered her wrong, these days. But he could be so irritating, it was uncanny.

Down in the shop, Sonja waited on her IM account for her pen-pal to reply.

_SLG:_** Hello? Is anyone there????**

_M Ishtar: _**Hey, sorry. I got distracted. So, were you serious about going back? I don't really know the full story, but from what little I've overheard over the years, it doesn't sound good. **

_SLG: _**No, it isn't good, but for some reason, Seto seems to think that going back to Nara will help me somehow. **

_M Ishtar: _**Do you believe that? **

_SLG: _** I'm kinda torn between yes and no. But I can't seem to shake the feeling that he's hiding something else from me. I've been a veritable wreck for days. I'm glad I have you to talk to. Well, now that you're not evil anymore. Lol. **

_M Ishtar: -_-; _**Thanks a heap. Oh, I have to go. We're just heading out to the museum to set up a new display. Hope the trip goes well for you, Sonja. **

_SLG: _**Thanks. Have fun with the display. Catch you later, Marik. **

Sonja signed off and sighed. Seemed like Marik was adjusting well to his new life. Even though she'd thankfully never gotten a chance to meet his other self during the tournament five years ago, she believed that all Marik had needed was a change of lifestyle. But now that his family's purpose was served, there was no more need for the tomb-keeper legacy. Marik, Odion, and Ishizu had relocated to Cairo where Ishizu was curator and head historian of the Cairo museum and Marik was studying to become an archeologist. He already qualified as an historian, so he'd decided to take the next step forward.

She was a little envious. He had most of his life sorted out and she was still puttering along in the dark. What with the trip to Nara coming up the next day, she was fidgety and nervous, suspecting another motive to this odd trip, but knowing better than to say anything.

She jumped and fell off the stool again when the phone rang. After untangling herself from the stool and brushing her hair from her face, she picked it up on the fourth ring.

"Hello, Gavens' Flower Emporium, Sonja speaking," she said breathlessly.

"_Jeez, Sonja, how many times have you fallen off that stool already?" _

Sonja scowled at the phone.

"Seto, I swear, if you don't shut up, I'll...."

"_You'll what?" _

"I don't know. I'll tell you when I think of it." Sonja snapped. She bristled when she actually heard him chuckling on the other end.

"Stop laughing, you jerk!" she shrieked. "Ugh. _Why do I put up with you!?" _

"_Calm down, already. I called to see if you were ready to leave tomorrow." _

"Yes, essentially. But how long do you plan for us to stay gone?"

"_Just a few days to a week. I haven't been able to pin point it. Basically, the length is up to you." _

Sonja knew what that meant. He meant that they'd be gone for however long it took for her to walk through her old home willingly. Or, however long it took for whatever he was planning to take effect. Knowing him, it could be almost anything.

"Fine, I get it. You're evil, you know that?"

"_I try." _

Sonja blinked. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were being humorously sarcastic. Don't tell me I have that much of an effect on that rock you've got for a heart."

_Click. _

Sonja giggled and hung up. That got him. A nice little payback for all of his unwitting idiocy. He didn't even understand when he was being idiotic. Typical.

Sonja closed up the shop early and wasn't looking where she was going. Literally crashing into Yugi standing outside the door.

"Ow," Yugi muttered, picking himself up off the sidewalk. He rubbed the back of his head painfully. "That kinda hurt."

"Sorry," Sonja said sheepishly. "I was a little irritated and wasn't looking."

Yugi smirked, getting to his feet. "Let me guess, this particular irritant is one we've known for years and can be rather exasperating at times."

Sonja sighed and shook her head. "I suppose that's one way of putting it." she said. "He just called and got my feathers ruffled, that's all. Darn him, he really knows what buttons to push. But one of these days, I'll get him back."

Yugi snickered madly. Sonja glowered at him and swatted him on the back of the head.

"Snicker again and I'll tell Rebecca your biggest secret." she said. Yugi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"But I don't have any big secrets and even if I did, how would you know them?" he asked. Sonja opened one eye and grinned.

"Simple. I'll tell her you're madly in love with her." she said. Yugi immediately gagged and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Quiet!" he hissed, "She might be hiding somewhere!"

"Why the secrecy? Don't tell me I'm dead on." Sonja said in surprise, pushing him away.

"No, you're not. But if she hears you, she might think you are." Yugi argued. He sagged. "Times like this, I wish Atem were still around."

"Yeah, you miss him, don't you." Sonja said. "But you sorta look like him now, so it's a little better."

Yugi just glared at her. He was about to retort when the two of them heard a an Indian war cry coming from down the street and Sonja suddenly paled.

"Oh no," she muttered as they were plowed into by a mismatched streak of blue and pink and red. They hit the ground hard and Sandra got to her knees, grinning triumphantly down at her victims.

"Gotcha! I so gotcha, I totally shocked you!" she crowed. Sonja and Yugi exchanged irritated glances and Sonja lashed up, grabbing Sandra around the waist and pinning her against the wall of the shop.

"Okay, you little monster, you're going to get it!" she growled. Sandra crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

"Otay you wittle monthter, you're gonna get it!" she mocked. "Hah! You ain't got nothing on me!" she cried.

"That was probably the worst sentence structure I've ever heard!" Sonja mumbled.

"Hah! Getcha going and go all!" Sandra beamed.

"Uh, sure." Yugi said. Sonja stared at him.

"You actually understood that?" she exclaimed. She let Sandra go and sighed, scratching her forehead absently. "Yugi, this is my employee, Sandra. Sandra, this is Yugi Moto. Now that we've got the pointlessness of this whole event covered, I'm going upstairs to pack."

She headed up into her apartment. Sandra stared at Yugi blankly. Yugi just stared back, blinking occasionally.

"Uh, hi?" he said. Sandra grinned.

"You're kinda cute." she said.

Yugi just stared disbelievingly.

//ooo//

Sonja went through her clothes and hummed, staring at a small assortment she'd laid out on the bed. She had no idea what the weather was like out there. She also wasn't sure what she should bring along for casual wear, especially with not knowing the weather. A knock on the door startled her into the present moment and she looked up. Sophie stuck her head inside and grinned. "Hey, sis." she said. "Are you packing for the trip back home?"

"No." Sonja muttered. Sophie raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Huh? So what are you packing for, then?"

"I'm packing for the trip to Nara." Sonja told her. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Come on, we were born and raised there. It's technically home to us." she said.

"Not to me." Sonja muttered. "Too many bad memories. Seto's trying to make me remember everything. I wish he'd cut it out, already."

" You know him. Never one to give up easily." Sophie said.

"No kidding. So, while I'm away, what are you going to do?"

"Daichi and I are heading to the winter carnival. Did you know about it?"

"I gave him the idea, Sophie." Sonja said. She selected a few various shirts and two pairs of jeans, plus her favorite tan denim skirt. If she remembered correctly, Nara wasn't really that cold this time of year, despite it being January. She packed a thin winter coat and a heavy winter coat. One pair of boots joined these in her suitcase.

Sophie sat down on the bed watching her sister pack. She happened to glance at Sonja's neck and made a cooing sound.

"Aw, you're still wearing it!" she exclaimed in delight. Sonja stared at her curiously.

"Huh? Still wearing what?"

"The pendant. You know, the one he gave you?" Sophie said, pointing to it. It reached Sonja's collarbone and Sonja looked down at it. She hummed and resumed packing.

"Well, yes," she said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Sophie smirked and stretched out on her back with a sigh. "I kinda wish I could go, too. But I get the feeling that it's supposed to be just the two of you."

Sonja did her best to ignore Sophie. But Sophie rambled on and on about the trip and started poking Sonja's shoulder when she realized her sister wasn't listening. Finally, she huffed angrily and sat up fully.

"Come on, Sonja, don't you understand?" she pried.

"Understand what?" Sonja asked checking to make sure she had everything.

"This trip! It's not just a trip to visit our old home, it's like a romantic getaway! Don't you get it?"

Sonja paused in her packing to smack her sister over the head.

"Don't be any more idiotic than you already are, Sophie." Sonja warned. She snapped the case shut and set it down on the floor. "I packed a little extra this time because something tells me we'll be gone for awhile. Are you going to be okay?" she asked Sophie. Sophie made a pfft sound and waved her off.

"Come on, sis, I can totally take care of myself."

"The last time you said that, you nearly burned the house down." Sonja grumbled. Sophie rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh come on, I accidentally set the curtains on fire and you won't let me forget it."

"Trying to recycle a dead candle by pouring kerosene into it and then lighting it is hardly accidental. Sophie, you're smarter than that. Since Seto's got me trapped in whatever he's cooked up, I need to trust you'll be fine and that the house will still be standing when I get back."

With that, she heaved her case up and dragged it into the living room, setting it behind the door. "Okay, that's taken care of. How about I-"

But she never finished her sentence. Arika suddenly stalked into the room from the bathroom where she'd apparently been repairing her makeup. She glowered at Sonja, grabbed her arm with her free hand and hobbled back into the bedroom, dragging the bewildered girl after her.

"Arika, what the heck has gotten into you?" Sonja demanded when Arika closed the door behind them. Arika turned and stared at her.

"If you're going back to Nara, please look at the green suitcase." she said almost pleadingly. "Some of what's in there may be helpful."

Sonja nervously glanced at the case lying under a thin layer of dust beneath the window. It had been sitting there for days.

"Please look through it." Arika repeated. "I'm sorry, but I have to insist on this, now. If you leave tomorrow, you may continue to forget about the thing until it's faded into dust."

The last part was said with a touch of irony. Sonja sighed and slowly made her way over to the case. She picked it up and set it on the bed, sitting down beside it. Arika sat down on the other side, watching her intently. Sonja carefully undid the latches, hesitating before opening the lid. Arika nodded encouragingly. Sonja braced herself and lifted the lid of the case up, peering inside reluctantly. She expected something totally weird and out of the ordinary jumbled together in messy piles. Instead, she found dozens of objects in various sizes and shapes bunched together neatly and wrapped in tissue paper. She lifted the first shapeless object out and unwrapped it. Her hands emerged clutching a soft stuffed bear with a pink bib on it that read 'Baby's First Bear'. Underneath the bib was a little windup key. Sonja gently turned it and it began to churn out an old lullaby so familiar, Sonja immediately felt as though she were back home with her parents. It was the same lullaby her mother used to hum to her before she fell asleep.

"I found that beneath the wreckage of your room." Arika said. "His head was actually torn off, so I sewed it back on as best I could. Out of all the stuffed animals in your old room, he was the only one that escaped the bugs, somehow."

Sonja gently and loving brushed the dust from the bear's head and set him down beside her. She picked up another object, this one square. Upon removing the paper, she discovered a moth-eaten piece of fabric with sleepy little lambs embroidered all over it in a light shade of powder blue. She held it delicately in her hands, afraid it would fall apart if she merely breathed on it.

"My old baby blanket." she muttered. "I slept with this thing close by right up until the night Sophie and I left. It took me weeks to adjust to life without it."

To Arika's silent amusement, Sonja actually hugged the old thing, rubbing the faded fabric against her cheek. Her eyes closed in nostalgic ecstasy as she recalled the familiar belonging. She smiled. "It even smells the same." she whispered. Arika knew that she'd effectively disappeared from Sonja's world for the moment. But she didn't care. She was enjoying watching Sonja rediscover her old life. Sonja went through the case again with slightly more eagerness than before. The next item she picked up was a large book with a pearl colored cover. Sonja carefully opened the cover and her eyes widened.

"A photo album," she murmured. This time, she glanced at Arika in disbelief.

"That wasn't the original book, unfortunately," Arika said. "I found those photos scattered all over the place and gathered up as many as I could find."

It was true. Here was a photo of their parents taking them on a vacation to Hokkaido with the snowy mountains in the background as they waved at the camera. There was another photo of Sonja and Sophie splashing their father at the beach. There was a picture of Sonja sitting on the beach wearing her yukata and watching fireworks light up the sky. But the picture that came after that one made Sonja close her eyes and resist the urge to cry. This picture showed her sitting on Sam's shoulders and watching the fireworks with him. The picture after that showed Sonja and her mother, both wearing yukatas, standing on the sand and her mother teaching her how to play with sparklers.

Sonja knew there were many more photos, but she couldn't look at them right now. She carefully closed the book and set it beside her. Her hand went up absently and fingered the locket she still wore as she stared into space.

"There's a few more things in there," Arika said gently. Sonja nodded and set the book down with the blanket and bear. There were four remaining objects inside the case. The next one she removed held an emerald green knitted shawl that Sonja immediately recognized.

"My grandmother knitted this for me before she died," Sonja said. "I barely remember this thing, but...." she trailed off. Sitting beside the shawl in the case was another knitted project, a thick blue afghan. These, Sonja carefully folded and set beside her as she inspected the final two objects. The first one was a long piece of fabric. Sonja recognized it as an obi. The second object took her breath away as she lifted it out. It was dark midnight blue with beautiful prints of cherry blossom branches all over it.

"Mom's old kimono," she said, "The one she wore on her first date with dad at the winter festival."

"I was about to leave the apartment with every salvageable thing I could get my hands on when I saw that lying on the floor of your parents' old room," Arika explained. "I found the obi after hunting around a bit for it and packed those in with the other things. One more thing...," she said, reaching forward to the inner flaps of the case. She dug around inside before coming across the object of her search. She pulled it out and held it up for Sonja. Sonja stared at it before carefully taking it from Arika.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked quietly.

"Yup. The key back to your old apartment out there. I worked out a bargain with the manager and she agreed to let me have it. Since the place couldn't be sold, she figured there was no point in holding onto the key, so I bought it from her. Another thing, she also wished me luck in finding you."

Sonja's head shot up in surprise.

"Finding me?" she said. Arika giggled sheepishly.

"Confession time. Actually, I'd spent three years after you'd vanished trying to find you guys, but you'd literally disappeared off the face of the earth. When I heard about the trial during a search through Massachusetts, I realized that that had to be you. But to tell you the truth, now that I'd found you, I was afraid to approach you."

Sonja couldn't believe it; Arika, her nemesis from the past, the one who used to dump mayonnaise in Sophie's hair, had spent years searching for the two of them and was now saying she 'd been too scared to meet them.

"Is that why you sent the DVD?" Sonja asked.

"Yeah. Daichi suggested it after we'd decided to finally meet you. For five years, we've been living in New York working up the courage to come and meet you. But even when we arrived at your apartment, we lingered in the car outside, working up the nerve to approach the door. I was scared that you'd remember everything we did to you. I suppose I had reason, but thankfully, you accepted us somewhat grudgingly."

Arika fell silent. Sonja just watched her quietly as she thumped her one crutch on the floor and sighed.

"I'm really sorry for everything," Arika said. "I just...."

"What?" Sonja asked. She'd folded her mother's kimono on her lap and stroked it absently. Arika chewed her lower lip and thumped the crutch on the floor again.

"Hey Sonja, I guess that I was always a little jealous of you and your siblings." she said, looking up at the ceiling and swinging her bad foot back and forth. Sonja tilted her head in confusion.

"Jealous? Jealous of what?"

"I guess I was jealous of how close you were with your family. My family is so screwed up. Daichi and I are half-siblings with one biological parent on each side. Our parents are split up both ways and everything's just a big mess. It always has been. But your family was always so close and now you're even close with your boyfriend."

Sonja went bright red and bristled. "Hey, you don't need to go there." she exclaimed. Arika snorted and chuckled. "See? In any case, I'm sorry about all the crap I pulled when we were kids and I hope you'll let me start over. Friends?"

She held her hand out and smiled. Sonja blinked, smiled and took her hand, shaking it once.

"Friends," she said.

Arika beamed and gestured at the kimono in Sonja's lap. "Now that formalities are over, why don't you try that on and see if it fits?"

"Huh? What for?" Sonja asked.

"Because you should. After all, a nice kimono like that should be put to good use. Try it on! You do know how to put kimonos on, right?"

"Well, yeah, kind of." Sonja answered. Arika got to her feet and with surprising strength, grabbed Sonja's hand and yanked her to her feet.

"Try it on! I won't look." she said, moving to the window and closing the blinds. Sonja sighed and shook her head.

"Oh fine," she mumbled.

Arika stared at a crack in the blinds, watching a cat going through a garbage can down behind the shop. She heard the rustling of fabric material as Sonja got the kimono on. The cat outside emerged from the can with a half-eaten fish of some kind and bounded off through a hole in the fence. Arika tapped her crutch impatiently.

"Is it on, yet?" she asked.

"Almost. I'm trying to remember how to tie an obi." Sonja replied.

"Don't ask me; I've never worn a kimono in my life." Arika said.

"Why not? You're more Japanese than I am." Sonja said.

"Because we never did anything that required something fancy like a kimono." Arika answered.

"There," Sonja said. "Okay, I think this is right."

Arika turned around and her jaw dropped. "Woah!" she exclaimed.

Sonja stood by her bed examining the kimono on herself. She tugged on the sleeves and the fabric, gazing at the print fondly. Arika hobbled over, smiling.

"Sonja, you look just like the moon goddess!" she teased.

"No I don't." Sonja said. "Besides, I think I tied the obi wrong."

"Who cares? Your hair hides it anyway. Dark blue really suits you. Does it fit okay?"

"It's a little loose, but that's probably due to the obi. Does it really look okay?" Sonja asked, dropping her arms to her sides. Arika frowned in contemplation and slowly made her way around Sonja. She gently took a hold of Sonja's long hair and curled it up on her head into a bun, leaving a few wisps hanging down on both sides of her face.

"Hmm. No, maybe you look better with long hair," Arika said. She glanced down at the obi. "And what do you mean you didn't tie it correctly? That has to be the most perfect obi knot I've ever seen!" she exclaimed.

"It's still too loose." Sonja commented.

"Well, you can work on that next time." Arika said.

"Next time? What next time?"

Arika grinned fiendishly. "I expect you to take that thing along on your trip." she said. "You never know, you know."

Sonja bristled again and scowled. "I am most certainly not bringing this thing with me to Nara! This trip is strictly-"

"Strictly what?" Arika interjected. "Strictly business? I don't think so. Look, Sonja, while you're there, you're bound to want to explore, right?"

"Well-"

"And this thing is a regular kimono, not a summer kimono. Say there's a winter festival going on? You'll need something to wear, right? Continue the tradition your mother started and wear that kimono on a winter date with your boyfriend!"

"All right, now you're just being ridiculous." Sonja grumbled. "Turn around so I can take this thing off."

Arika faced the window again, but smirked as she did.

"You never know Sonja," she said excitedly.

"I happen to know that whatever that perverted mind of yours is cooking up is most definitely not going to happen." Sonja snapped. After she finished changing, she folded the kimono up delicately and set it on the bed.

"I'm going to go and get dinner started." Sonja said. Arika sighed heavily.

"Fine, fine, do what you want. You'll regret it, though!" she taunted. And with that, she picked up the kimono and stuffed it under her shirt to wait until Sonja had gone to bed.

//ooo//

Kaiba stared out the window of his home office. Writer's block was a bit of an issue with him on occasion. He was busy blocking the schedule so he wouldn't miss anything while he was gone. He had no idea how long this trip was going to be. Like he'd told Sonja, it depended on her.

He didn't look up when the door opened and Mokuba came in carrying a box.

"Hey, Seto, this just came in the mail for you." he said. Kaiba turned and looked down at the box as Mokuba set it on his desk.

"About time," he murmured. "I placed the order for that thing three weeks ago."

"What is it?" Mokuba asked curiously. Kaiba took the box and used a pen to slice through the tape sealing it shut. He opened the flaps and Mokuba swore he saw a hint of a smile on his brother's face. But before he could be certain, it was gone. Kaiba closed the box up again and set it next to his computer.

"Well?" Mokuba asked.

"Well what?"

"What's in the box?"

"A secret." Kaiba replied as though it were the simplest thing in the world. Mokuba groaned and glared at Kaiba.

"Come on, tell me!" he whined.

"After I get back." Kaiba said.

"But you said yourself you have no idea how long you'll be gone! Come on, tell me what it is!"

"No."

Mokuba hurried around the desk and made a grab for the box. Kaiba got to it before Mokuba could and stood up, moving out of the way of his brother.

"Nice try, Mokuba." Kaiba said. He threw the box into the air tauntingly and then caught it with a smirk. "You won't know what it is until I get back."

As he left the room, Mokuba hissed angrily.

"No fair! You're mean, Seto!" he yelled after him.

//ooo//

That night, Sonja put on a heavy coat over her pajamas and climbed up through the attic to the roof. It was almost two in the morning and she couldn't sleep. She had too many things on her mind having to do with the upcoming trip. She knew he had an ulterior motive for this. It wasn't only to help her accept Allan's disappearance from her life. There was something else involved. But what was it?

Sonja was finished packing and knew that he'd be there early the following morning to get her. Their plane left very early. Sonja still wasn't sure about this whole thing, but she knew better than to argue.

She sat on the edge of the roof, staring up at the sky, watching her breath steam out into the night air. She was actually really nervous. What was going to happen to them once she rediscovered everything she'd spent so many years trying to bury? Even she didn't remember half of them. But now, Kaiba was forcing her to remember everything. Part of her hated him for it. But part of her was also glad that he cared enough to try to help her overcome her memories of Allan, the only things holding her back from her future. But that brought her to another question. Once she'd gotten over Allan, what did her future have in store for her? Should she go and look for her dad? Her mother was dead, but her father could still be alive. It was worth a shot.

She looked down at the street as a car approached. She expected it to continue down the street, but to her surprise, it stopped outside her shop and shut off. Sonja frowned. Who on earth would be wanting flowers this late at night? Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Seto!" she exclaimed. Kaiba slammed the door shut and glanced up at her.

"Sonja, what are you doing up there?" he called up.

"Thinking." she replied. "Hang on, I'm coming down. It's too late to be yelling back and forth like this. I don't want to wake Bernice up."

He waited until she'd gone back down through the attic and reappeared at the top of the stairs a few minutes later. She jumped down the last few steps and sighed, glancing back behind her.

"Who's Bernice?" Kaiba asked, approaching.

"My elderly neighbor. She owns that antique shop next door. But like me, she's a fairly light sleeper and tends to be grouchy when awakened before her eight-o-clock alarm."

"What were you thinking about that you went up to the roof?" Kaiba asked her. Sonja didn't answer, but turned and opened up the shop, going inside and sitting down behind the counter. Kaiba followed her in. He noticed that she was in the middle of hanging some potted ferns. He watched her booting up her computer, not really looking at it, but feeling her way through the familiar process. He could see in her eyes that she was deep in thought. Over the weeks, he'd come to appreciate these subtle eccentricities she had, such as falling into heavy pondering whenever she hit a particularly thought-provoking topic.

"Sonja?" he ventured, "Are you thinking about tomorrow?"

"If you mean today, then yes. I couldn't sleep and seeing how you're out at two in the morning, I take it you couldn't sleep, either."

Kaiba sighed and shifted on his feet. "No," he replied. "I couldn't. Knowing you as well as I do, I figured you'd still be awake, Sonja."

Sonja spun one rotation on her stool and sighed, staring at the ceiling. Her long white hair trailed a ghostly wave down her back. "Yup. I never travel well, but this is going over the edge, Seto. You know that. I'd planned on staying away from Japan for the rest of my life."

"What about your father? He's still alive, isn't he?" Kaiba said, catching himself in the act of almost saying her father's first name. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to know that or not.

"Even if he were, it's too late to go back to being a family. He probably wouldn't even recognize me, now."

Kaiba doubted that. No, he didn't just doubt it, he _knew_ it wasn't true. Damon greatly missed his daughters and had been pestering him for hours about when they were to arrive. Kaiba had told him that if the weather held out, they'd leave in the morning and be there the following afternoon. But he'd been adamant with the fact that he wanted Damon to meet them only when Kaiba let him know. He didn't explain to Damon his reasoning, only that Damon had to be patient for however long it took. Damon grudgingly agreed, especially when Kaiba lied and said he'd back out if he didn't. Fortunately for him, Damon was too anxious to see through the lie and bought it.

"I think I won't go to sleep." Sonja said.

"Why not?" Kaiba asked curiously.

"Because it's a fourteen hour flight. I'll be bored to tears if I don't sleep. Besides-uh, never mind."

Sonja faced away from him, staring at the wall. He could tell that she wanted to be alone for the moment. He turned and headed toward the door, glancing back only once. Sonja had decided to busy herself with flower pressing and was tacking them to the wall.

"Good night," he heard her say. He turned again. She was still tacking flowers to the wall to dry them.

"Good night." he repeated. He left, leaving Sonja to her thoughts' mercy as she worked long into the night.

Time moves on.

A/N: I have my kitty next to me. Meeka has been my lifelong companion since I was a kid and I'll probably lose her soon, so we're pretty much inseparable. Oh, and I've been watching Clannad! Anyone want an adorable series? Clannad is the way to go!!


	16. Returning Home

A/N: I am SOOOO sorry for the lateness in this update! I got so many new ideas for other fanfics and had to get them out! But here's this one and I promise there's cute fluff! I'm getting pretty good at writing fluff. I actually had a friend tell me that because I've never been in a relationship, I can write cute romances because I don't know what it's like to be jilted. Hm. Maybe being single isn't so bad! ^_^ Enjoy the story.

Back Home

Kaiba found Sonja sitting at her kitchen table dressed in a white coat with a wool collar and blue jeans. Her long white hair hung free down her back and shimmered in the morning sunlight. Her suitcase sat beside her, somewhat bereft in the morning light drifting into the room. She'd left the door unlocked.

"Are you ready?" Kaiba asked. Sonja turned to look at him. It was clear she hadn't slept.

"Yeah." she muttered. She got to her feet. "Sophie's still asleep. I told her to stay in bed if I have to leave earlier."

"Fine. We should be there soon. Our plane leaves at ten."

"Okay." Sonja muttered. She picked her case up and made her way over to the door. Kaiba made no move to help her with her case. He could somehow sense that she didn't want any help right then. She paused at the door and tacked a note on lined paper to the wood. Then she went outside and descended the stairs quickly to post another note on the shop door. Kaiba knew they were notes to Sophie, explaining what to do in her absence. After all, neither of them knew how long they'd be gone. It could be days, or even weeks. Kaiba only knew that they'd stay out there for as long as it took for Sonja to accept what had happened to her under Allan's hold. It was the only way she'd be able to move on with her life. A surefire way would be to meet Allan again in person, a feat which Kaiba was positive Sonja was emotionally incapable of doing. That being the case, this was their next best option.

Down on the sidewalk, Sonja started braiding her hair. Kaiba paused beside her and gently grasped her hand. She glanced at him curiously.

"What?" she asked. He didn't look at her at first, but cast a quick glance instead.

"Wear it down," he said. Sonja blinked a few times, frowned and put the hair tie in her pocket. She placed both hands inside her pockets and sighed.

"Do I still have a chance to back out?" she asked.

"Not really." Kaiba replied. "But I do need you to trust me."

Sonja smiled a little at that. "Oh come on, asking is hardly necessary. Trust isn't the issue here."

They both knew what she meant.

This time, Kaiba cautiously took her case and loaded it into the trunk of the car with another case, this one carrying a special extra something he'd kept hidden. If everything went as planned, he'd consult Damon. For this trip, everything had to go perfectly. Unfortunately, seeing how they were returning to Sonja's home turf, Kaiba, for once, wasn't entirely sure of his plans. It wasn't often he was faced with a difficult situation where he wasn't sure how to escape it. It made him nervous.

He slammed the trunk and went around to the driver's seat. Sonja was already in the passenger's side, riding a quiet shotgun. She stared at the dashboard, not really seeing it. This trip was going to be a quiet one. She was too busy steeling herself. But to his surprise, as they pulled away, she turned and craned her neck back to watch the shop until it disappeared.

"You're acting like you'll never be coming back." Kaiba mumbled.

"Sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, glancing at her. She just shook her head quietly. As for thinking the trip was going to be quiet, Kaiba found himself somewhat proven wrong.

"I've been talking with Marik in an online chat room." Sonja said. Kaiba stared at her, bewildered.

"Marik? The same Marik from the tournament?" he exclaimed. She nodded.

"Yeah. He contacted me last year. He wanted to know how everyone was doing."

Kaiba hummed and stared out the windshield. Black clouds were beginning to roll in on the horizon. This flight was going to be a little rough.

"Is that a good idea?" he asked grimly.

"He regrets what he did, Seto. In fact, he gets upset whenever it's brought up. He's attending Cairo University to become an archeologist. We talk whenever we get the chance. Ishizu is the curator of the museum, now, as well as head historian. I always liked her. After all, anyone who could stand up to you couldn't be all bad."

Kaiba glared at her and flipped on the windshield wipers as the rain erupted from the sky in a violent cloudburst.

"I'm not _that_ bad, Sonja." Kaiba grumbled.

"No, you're not. But you were then. Sometimes I wonder...." she trailed off.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just nothing."

They didn't speak again until they reached the airport. By this time, the rain had slowed considerably. Kaiba unloaded their luggage and turned the car over to a holding service where someone from Kaiba Corp. would arrive to pick it up at some point following their arrival. After checking the bags, Kaiba approached Sonja, standing quietly by the door and watching the passerby. Every time she did things like that, Kaiba was always struck by how much she acted like a wandering spirit might act; aloof and watchful, never really noticed. Always standoffish and quiet. But when she saw him, she smiled slightly and nodded.

"All set." she said. He could see exactly how unprepared she really was for this.

"Sonja," he said quietly. She glanced up at him. Kaiba didn't look directly at her. "Listen," he mumbled, "Whatever happens, you can count on me to protect you, okay?"

She smiled a little and nodded. "I know," she said, "And I appreciate it, Seto."

Sonja barely noticed as they went through the usual procedure necessary for boarding a plane. She was so used to it, that she acted automatically. By the time they'd reached their gate, Sonja finally woke up and realized where they were. She went and stood by the window, watching their plane as it was prepared. They'd be boarding at any time. Her stomach ached from nerves and she'd started shaking uncontrollably as though she were cold. This was simply a nervous reflex. She kept reminding herself that Kaiba was with her and that she was safe, no matter what happened.

She jumped when her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Fingers fumbling, she pulled it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Sonja, it's me,_"

Sonja couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy to hear Sophie's voice. "Hi, sis," she murmured.

"_Are you guys getting ready to board soon?_"

"Yeah. We'll be boarding anytime. Remember, once we get there, we're going to be a day ahead of you, so be careful when you call, all right?"

"_I will, sis. Listen, try to have fun on this trip, okay?_"

"I can't Sophie. It's a trip specifically for helping me get over what happened."

"_Don't give me that. Think of it this way, sis, it's some time all to yourselves. You know, without us bugging you. You get it?_"

Sonja choked and quickly faced the window, hoping she wasn't blushing. "Sophie, you creep, cut it out!" she snapped. Sophie laughed hysterically and sighed.

"_Sis, you're so easy to get. Don't do anything we wouldn't do...willingly._"

Sonja hung up decisively and sighed, folding her arms and watching the plane. Was it too late to make a run for it?

_"Attention, flight 206 nonstop service to Japan is preparing to board. Please have your tickets in hand when you approach the podium." _

Sonja swallowed nervously and gripped the collar of her jacket. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned. Kaiba gazed down at her seriously. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly. She reached up and took his hand, turning back to stare at the plane. "Yeah," she said, "I'm fine."

"I don't believe you." he said rather bluntly. Sonja shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I suppose we should go, huh?"

"That would be best, Sonja,"

When they reached the doorway, he handed their tickets to the employee who scanned them. She smiled. "Thank you, enjoy the flight."

The inside of the terminal was bitterly cold. Kaiba cast occasional glances at Sonja, walking automatically through motions she'd long since memorized. He had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't completely there, right at the moment.

They made it inside the plane and found their seats. Sonja took the window seat this time and leaned her head against the wall of the aircraft, staring outside and watching the crew loading the bags into the belly of the plane. Kaiba sat down beside her and started to take out a book on reflex, but then stopped himself. This trip was supposed to be about helping Sonja move on with her life. She needed his support right now more than anything and he knew this very well. He knew that she was previously caught up in the circle of her entrapment to Allan, unable to free herself on her own. He frowned. Some people might consider her weak, or the type who needed to depend on others to survive. They couldn't imagine how wrong they were. Sonja was strong; she'd lived so long relying only on herself out of sheer necessity and fear of others. In all truth, he was the first outsider she'd trusted. Because of this, though she rarely said it, she trusted him more than anything.

He carefully reached over and gently took her hand in his own, surprising her somewhat. She turned to him questioningly. He didn't look directly at her, but gave her a meaningful side glance. She sighed, reassured somewhat. She interlocked her fingers with his and leaned back against the seat back, closing her eyes. He smiled faintly. Already, she was beginning to relax. It was a start.

//ooo//

Sonja jolted awake with a gasp, sitting upright and bolting around for the source of her nightmare. There was nothing. She was still on the plane and it was dark. She blinked in confusion. How long had she been asleep?

She looked over at Kaiba. He too was asleep beside her. Seeing that they'd taken off in the morning and it was now dark, Sonja estimated that she'd been asleep for at least ten hours. She sighed and sat back, staring out the window. There were no clouds below them and she couldn't see anything else. She guessed that they were over the water, now, or at least over the mid west.

"Did you sleep well?"

Sonja jumped. "You scared me," she whispered, turning to him. "You weren't asleep," she said.

"No."

"How long was I asleep?"

"They announced that we have about two hours left. Go back to sleep, Sonja."

"Not right now. I'll be okay." Sonja said. He frowned.

"Sonja," he said warningly. "Rest a little longer. We're almost there."

Sonja sighed in defeat and rested her head against his shoulder. "Fine, you win," she said, closing her eyes. She knew he was right; that if she didn't sleep, she'd suffer immense jet lag once they landed. She hadn't experienced severe jet lag since the last plane ride from Japan to the United States, the night she and Sophie fled from Allan's house.

It was times like this that Kaiba often thought about the weird series of events that occurred for them to end up this way. Come to think of it, if Allan hadn't ruined Sonja's previous life, the chances were high that he himself never would have met Sonja and she would have gone on to lead a more normal life in Nara. When he'd seen her in the memory sequence, she looked about maybe eleven. They were almost one year apart, exactly. That time in her past would have been around the same time that Gozuborou adopted them. If Allan had been taken care of ahead of time, detained in some faraway prison, Sonja would never have been forced to run away with Sophie. She never would have had to fend for herself on the streets. She never would have gotten hurt both mentally and physically during that time. She never would have been taken by Allan and put through those heinous jobs he forced her to do. Instead, she might have graduated from elementary school and moved on to middle school. From there, junior high and high school. She never would have had to worry about whether or not she'd live to see her next birthday. She would have made friends and hung out with them on Sundays, seeing how Japanese schools have only a single weekend day. Sam might have survived and she'd spend her days with him and Sophie. Sonja was smart, so she might have become a top student if she cared enough. She might have even met someone special to walk home with after school, or something. He jolted a little when he realized that this someone wouldn't have been him by a long shot. They were thousands of miles apart and yet, _something_ brought them together. If Sonja's life had never been destroyed, they'd never have met and who knows where they'd be after that?

He glanced at her strangely. Seriously, what were the chances of their meeting? She'd been born as a Japanese American and he'd been born thousands of miles away. They'd lived totally separate lives for so long. How was it possible for them to have met under such circumstances? He sighed. After being forced to hang out with Yugi and his pals for so long, Kaiba had finally come to terms with the fact that not everything could be explained away so easily.

Sonja had fallen asleep again. With his free hand, he gently reached up to brush her hair from her eyes. It didn't matter anymore, those strange circumstances. They'd met, somehow and now, he loved her more than anything. If there was anything he was sure of, it was that fact. He knew that he'd do whatever it took to help her so they both could move on.

With this in mind, he closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

//ooo//

Kaiba was the first to feel the jolt of the plane's wheels touching the ground. The runway must have been icy, because the plane veered slightly to the right, causing his heart to pound at the sudden ruckus. But the pilot got the aircraft back under control quickly enough and they soon began to slow down. He breathed a sigh of...not relief, he wasn't sure what to call it. They'd finally made it. They were in Japan.

Kaiba turned to Sonja, still sound asleep beside him. He gently shook her awake.

"Sonja," he said, "Wake up. We've landed."

Sonja moaned and stirred slightly, her eyes scrunching shut before opening a tad and gazing up at him blearily. "We have?" she mumbled sleepily. She glanced outside. It was evening here, but back in Domino, the sun was coming up. Jet lag was going to be a beast this time around. He was used to it, but she wasn't. It was going to take her a little while to adjust to the time changes.

He got up and tugged his case out from beneath the seat in front of him. He hated to admit it, but ever since getting struck by a rather large case stowed in the overhead compartments some years before, he'd developed a bit of an issue with storing things up above. After all, being hit by a suitcase that just _barely_ fit the size requirements tended to make you think twice about rushing to open the door.

He looked down at Sonja, still sitting down. He frowned. Jet lag was already taking its toll on her. She was pale as milk and didn't really look alive at all. But she pulled it together and stood up shakily, smiling. "Made it safe and sound," she said in a futile attempt to brush off how scared she was. She already knew how pathetic of a liar she was so he didn't bother to point it out.

"Lets' go," he said, "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can find a hotel and you can sleep."

"I'm not that tired," Sonja said, catching her foot on the base of the seat and tumbling forward. Kaiba lashed out and caught her before she fell hard enough to bruise her face. He smirked. "You were saying?"

"Oh, leave me alone," Sonja growled, getting clumsily to her feet. She glared at him irritably. "What gives, Seto? How come you're not getting jet lag?"

"I am, but I'm used to it, unlike you. It doesn't bother me as much, anymore." he explained. She just sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. "Sorry," she said.

They left the plane, both of them appreciating the fresh air, rather than the stale, circulated stuff that passed as air inside the aircraft. Now that she was in the cool outside, Sonja seemed a little more awake. Unfortunately, it proved to be temporary. Kaiba had to rent a car for them to use and while he was waiting, she fell asleep standing up against the wall a few feet away. She woke up a few minutes later, just in time to join him and the attendant to get the car. Along the way, the attendant tried rather unsuccessfully to start a conversation. Fortunately, he spoke broken English, but English nonetheless.

"So," he said, "Visit?"

"Yes," Kaiba answered brusquely. He was back to his usual self. Unfortunately, his usual self tended to discourage people from trying to talk to him, much less engage him in conversation. The man blinked and continued to lead them to the lot where the car was already waiting. Once the keys were exchanged, Kaiba loaded their cases into the trunk without a word. The man left rather quickly.

Sonja appeared a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Um, Seto?"

"Hm?"

"I speak very little Japanese. How are we going to talk to people?"

"I can speak a little," he admitted dryly, "Courtesy of my stepfather's ruthless training. I can at least communicate and understand enough to get us through."

Sonja nodded. Kaiba glanced at her. "Why don't you get in?" he suggested. Sonja hesitated and then agreed. "Sure," she said. She climbed in the front passenger seat and waited. When he finally got in himself, he sighed. "Listen," he said, "Keep in mind that we won't be speaking to many people. You do remember our original purpose for coming here, don't you?"

Sonja scowled and turned away sharply. "What kind of simple-minded moron do you take me for, Seto?" she snapped. She moaned suddenly and plunked her head against the window.

"Take it easy," he grumbled, "Remember, you're a day ahead of your normal time."

"I know, I know," Sonja mumbled wearily.

Kaiba recalled Sonja telling him that she'd grown up in an English community in Japan, further adding to her lack of Japanese cultural knowledge. Her parents had wanted her to be more Western in culture, so they'd focused on teaching her more about American customs. That reminded him; once they got to the hotel, he was going to have to email Damon right away and let him know they'd arrived. Of course, they wouldn't actually be meeting him for several days probably. Anyone who knew of Kaiba's itinerary would have considered him some kind of nut, that was certain. But there was a method to his madness. He just hoped it worked.

Getting to the hotel was a bit of a problem. Even out here, Kaiba was well known, so he'd sure to reserve rooms at a vaguely known place just outside Osaka, where they'd flown in to. The following morning, they'd drive the hour and a half or so to Nara. The hotel he'd chosen was out of the way. This way, they could avoid the busy streets if they had to.

He wasn't all that sure if Sonja was even aware of what she was doing when they reached their separate rooms after checking in. But once again, she surprised him. She opened her eyes and slid the door open, took her shoes off and, made her way inside and closed it again as though she'd always understood how to.

Sonja immediately saw that she had a bed roll to set up, first. She found it in the closet and pulled it out, setting it up just like she had whenever she stayed over at an old friend's house back when she was a kid. She'd once had a good friend from school named Yumiko who invited her to stay over. Her family always kept a bed roll or two for visitors. Sonja had no trouble setting it up and then changed into her pajamas, crawling beneath the blanket. She was asleep before she'd even laid her head down.

Meanwhile, in the adjoining room, Kaiba set his computer up and sat down on the floor, waiting for it to boot. This was a little different, he had to admit. He'd been to Japan once before, but the hotel he'd stayed at was Western. Unfortunately, most of those types were rooted deep in the heart of the city and he wanted to keep them as out of sight as possible. The less stress Sonja had to deal with, the better her chances were of getting through this with minimal mental damage.

While he was waiting, his phone on the table beside his computer began to ring. He grabbed it on the second ring and answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Oh, good, I timed it right,_"

"Hey, Mokuba," he said. "Yes, you timed it right. We got in about two hours ago,"

"_Is Sonja okay?_"

"Out cold," Kaiba replied. "But that's no surprise,"

"_Sophie told me that you two will probably start out tomorrow morning._"

"That's what we're hoping. I'm a little concerned, however."

"_Stop worrying. Don't forget, she's stronger than she looks and I mean that both ways._" Mokuba said. Kaiba chuckled. "We'll be fine, Mokuba. I've already told you, I'm not sure how long we're going to be out here. If you need anything-"

"_I know, I know. Call you or call Ursula or Roland. I got it. Well, you're a day behind us so I'm gonna let you go. Oh, and I wanted to remind you of something,_"

"What?" Kaiba asked, watching his computer finish loading and not picking up the tone in his brother's voice. Mokuba started cackling.  
"_Keep it clean, you guys._"

"What?" he exclaimed as Mokuba hung up. Kaiba stared at the phone in bewildered puzzlement and shook his head. "That boy doesn't have both oars in the water," he muttered. He sighed and turned away from his computer. He vaguely wondered if Sonja would be able to obtain true rest that night. She was having a rough time with the jet lag. He had no way of knowing what her dreams would be like. Of course, if he woke up to the sound of agonized screaming later on, it was a good bet he'd find out.

//ooo//

The following morning, Kaiba was up rather early. He was planning the route they'd take through Nara. He sort of felt bad forcing Sonja to go through with this, but he had a distinct feeling that maybe she was more afraid of it than she really needed to be. After all, there were probably a lot of good memories she was unconsciously suppressing thanks to her inability to move away from the bad memories. His theory was that if she could remember better times instead, she'd have an easier time getting over Allan's treatment of her.

He finished packing his computer away, planning to take it with him for safety reasons. Then, he got to his feet and left his room, moving to hers. He knocked once. "Sonja?" he called softly, "Are you awake?"

He heard her yawn. "_More or less,_" she answered sleepily. "_You can come in_."

He slid the door open and found her sitting on top of her rolled up bed roll, watching the sun rise through the open screen. She turned and smiled. He could see she was still tired. "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning, Sonja. Are you ready to go?"

Sonja stood up, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I suppose. I know better than to talk you out of something," she said. "Well, I'm ready when you are, Seto,"

As they pulled out of the parking lot, he glanced at her. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No," she replied. To tell the truth, he wasn't either. They were both a little tense, to put it mildly. He stared straight ahead, wondering where to begin.

"Sonja," he finally said, "Remember, I don't know what's what around here. I'm counting on you to point things out for me," he said.

"I know. I'll let you know when I see something I remember," she said quietly. He found himself admiring how strong her will was. He figured that that was probably one of the things about her that he'd fallen in love with. She wasn't about to let on how scared she was. She too knew that this was probably going to help her face her demons head on for the last time.

The drive to Nara was quiet. Sonja managed to stay awake the entire time, scanning the countryside for anything she remembered. By the time they'd reached the rural outer limits of Nara, Sonja's eyes had taken on a glassy sheen. She clearly recognized this place.

"Seto, I know this street," she murmured. He glanced at her for a second before pulling over to park beside the sidewalk. Sonja cast him a nervous glance. "I used to have a friend who lived on this street. But she moved to Kyoto a few years before everything and we lost touch," she explained.

"Is there anything else?" Kaiba asked. Sonja chewed her lower lip. "A little ways further is where my grandma used to live when she moved out with my parents. And then further down from that, a little into the town is the townhouse."

Kaiba frowned. He remembered the townhouse almost as well as she did. He started the engine again and pulled back into the street. "Fine, then, we'll start in town."

"This is only the outskirt region of Nara. I only ever visited the heart of it once or twice for school field trips and things," Sonja said quietly.

"We'll visit these places as we go, Sonja," Kaiba said. Sonja nodded.

A couple of blocks away, Sonja made him stop. They'd arrived at a small park. It was currently empty, being a weekday. Sonja hesitated. "I don't know," she said.

"Is this place significant?" Kaiba asked. The only visitor in the park was an elderly woman feeding a small cluster of fish in a nearby pond.

"Yes," Sonja answered. "Mom always brought me here every day after daycare. This is where I met Yumiko."

"Yumiko?"

"An old friend. We couldn't understand a thing we said to each other at first, but we were best friends. Even when mom started to home school me, we remained friends. But then, she moved away and we haven't spoken since."

She turned away from the park. "That's all, though. Nothing special."

Kaiba watched her carefully. She didn't seem too upset, now. He faced forward again. "So," he said, "Where to, now?"

"Um...," Sonja started, unsure of how to continue, "Why don't we walk?"

He looked over at her in mild surprise. "Do you remember this place well enough?" he asked.

"Sort of," Sonja answered. "I remember this neighborhood."

They left the car parked alongside the street. Kaiba allowed Sonja to lead the way and as they continued, she seemed to brighten up a bit. When they passed a small corner store, she smiled at him and hurried inside, leaving him standing rather bereft in the street waiting for her. He saw her inside inspecting a rack with various kinds of foreign candies on them. He leaned up against the wall with a sigh, hands in his pockets and staring up at the sky, lost in thought. He didn't even notice when she came out of the store, holding a package with some kind of bun inside it. He turned slightly.

"I bought this," she said, stating the obvious. She opened up the package and threw the wrapper into a nearby garbage can. She split the bun down the middle, revealing some kind of weird-looking red paste. She handed half to him, "Try it," she said, taking a bite out of the other half. Kaiba hesitantly took his half, eying it cautiously. Sonja seemed to be enjoying hers immensely, so he decided a small taste wouldn't hurt. He nibbled a small bit of it, testing the flavor. Then he grimaced.

"Ugh," he muttered, swallowing painfully. "It tastes disgusting,"

"You don't like it?"

"What was your first clue?" he grumbled. Sonja blinked in surprise, clearly stunned. "I don't know what your problem is," she said, "I think this stuff tastes delicious,"

She took another bite of her half of the bun and he handed her the rest of his.

After the sweet bun incident, Sonja began to perk up as she recognized more and more about this neighborhood;

"Right there," she said, pointing to a small row of homes, "There used to be a small grove of cherry trees there that mom would take Sophie and I to watch blossom every year. I see they got cut down, though. But it's all right,"

She sighed. "I guess you won't get to see it while we're here," she said, "It's really beautiful to watch. Out here, they're called sakura blossoms. It's still winter and they only bloom in the spring, though,"

She cast a final gaze at the homes built over the property she remembered and then turned her back on them.

The entire street was comprised of these modern homes and all the way to the corner, Sonja stared at them almost wistfully. Kaiba watched her carefully, trying to decipher what she might have been thinking about. Of course, that was impossible. She was extremely good at hiding her emotions. That's how she'd gone so long without telling anyone of her internal injuries five years before. The doctors had said that she must have living with incredible pain for a long time and hiding it exponentially well.

The suburbs of Nara were quiet. Kaiba counted a total of three cars passing them since they arrived. Once in a while, they'd see a person walking a dog, or mother with a toddler in tow, but not much else. Sonja just walked silently, gazing at the houses and occasional little shops they passed, picking out things she remembered and things that had replaced her memories. Now and then, her face would change, indicating that she recalled something. If she chose to, she'd tell him what it was that she recalled.

"This street leads up to a bluff overlooking the town," she said. "I used to go there with Yumiko on our days off."

The innards of the area were somewhat busier. A small intersection served as rest point for the two of them. Kaiba had been to Japan, but had never visited smaller regions like this. He had to admit, he was curious. They sat on a bench outside a small grocery store. Sonja just watched the cars go by, lost in her own thoughts.

The doors opened a few feet away and an older woman stepped out, shielding her eyes from the sun. She glanced over at them, looked away and then did a double-take in their direction. Kaiba looked up, wary, but still curious. Sonja hadn't noticed yet.

The woman's shopping bag fell to her feet, scattering the contents. Her shaking hands flew to her mouth as she stared wide-eyed at Sonja. It was now that Kaiba noticed that this woman wasn't Japanese.

"S-S-Sonja!" she exclaimed in amazement. Sonja blinked and looked up at the sound of her name, her face registering no signs of recognition. The woman carefully made her way over, her hands extended slightly, as though to ascertain that Sonja's wasn't some kind of apparition. "Is it...is it really you? Sonja?" she whispered. Her accent was Swiss, though she spoke perfect English. Sonja frowned, feeling something tugging at the back of her mind. She stood up slowly, staring hard at the woman and struggling to place her name.

"Sonja, don't you remember me?" the woman asked anxiously, gesturing toward herself. "You remember me, right?"

"K-Katia?" Sonja muttered in bewildered amazement. The woman squealed in delight and lunged forward, pulling Sonja tightly into her arms and spinning her in a circle. "Oh! I knew you'd remember me! I knew you couldn't forget me!" she cried. She released Sonja and smiled warmly at her, looking as though she were about to cry from sheer happiness. "I've missed you, Sonja,"

"Same here, Katia," Sonja replied, "I never expected you to have stayed in Nara,"

"I never expected you to return!" Katia countered in surprise and outrage, "Not after what that-that _duivel_ did to you! Oh, my poor Sonja!" she exclaimed, pulling her into another hug. She stepped back and gazed at her fondly, "You have grown, my dear," she said, "You are grown up and no longer have need of old Katia,"

"Not true at all," Sonja said cheerfully, "And you're not old,"

Katia waved her hand crazily, muttering to herself in another language, "Pish-posh! I'm sixty-two years old, Sonja. That's old. But come, come, come, why don't we have tea together? After all, we have so much to talk about! You can bring your friend!" she added with a wink. Sonja rolled her eyes.

//ooo//

"Now then," Katia said, folding her hands under her chin, "Introduce me to your friend,"

She'd taken the two of them to a small cafe down the street and ordered for the three of them, despite Sonja's protests. The cafe was called _Kazeyuki _and Sonja figured that it was probably the combined result of two names who funded the shop. Their tea was brought to them and Katia stirred in four sugar packets before setting her spoon down on the napkin beside her and refocused her gaze on them.

Kaiba glanced oddly at Sonja who nodded. He was strangely intimidated by Katia, but refused to say so. Fortunately, Sonja understood.

"My name is Seto Kaiba," he said. Katia smiled at the two of them.

"I see," she said, "My name is Katia. My last name is rather difficult to pronounce, so just call me by my first name, all right?"

Sonja smiled and nodded. "That's what you always used to say to me," she said.

"And with good reason, my dear Sonja," Katia said. "Are you two here together or did you just meet?"

"We've actually known each other for five years," Sonja said. "The trip out here was Seto's idea. He said it would be good for me."

Katia's eyes took on a sly gleam, "Oh, I see," she said, "Well I must say, you two make quite an adorable couple,"

Sonja made a funny choking noise and froze up while Kaiba just cleared his throat and stared out the window. Katia burst into boisterous laughter and shook her head, strands of her black hair coming free from her bun and drifting into her face.

"Oh, that is too funny!" she exclaimed.

"If I may ask," Kaiba mumbled, "Who exactly are you?"

"Seto," Sonja admonished, "That's rude,"

"No, no, he's got a good point," Katia interrupted, "I failed to tell him who I am. After all, you know me and I know me, but he does not know me! I was a servant to that menace, Allan Muggs," Katia explained, bitterness straining her voice. "Times were not good to me then, so I did what I could to get by. I remember the day he brought Sonja and Sophie in," she said, gazing down at her hands. "I remember thinking how adorable the two of you were," she said with a fond, motherly glance at Sonja, "I knew what might happen to you two and I also knew that I was powerless to stop it,"

She sniffed and cleared her throat as she recomposed herself. "But, that's all in the past," she said, "And from the looks of it, you're doing just fine, dear,"

"I am. You can thank Seto," Sonja said, glancing meaningfully at him. "Not many people know that it's because of him that we had Allan put away for sixty years."

Katia smiled gratefully at him, "I can't thank you enough for what you did for Sonja," she said. Kaiba didn't reply. Katia smiled and continued, "I was so happy when you two escaped. I knew you were probably gone forever, but I was still happy. I hated to see you come home in tears. All those years I wanted nothing more than to talk with you, to comfort you in times of his cruelty, Sonja. In fact, every year on the anniversary of your arrival at his home, I bought you and Sophie a gift, but I never worked up the courage to give them to you. I was so feeble, then, and I'm so ashamed of it," Katia murmured.

"No, don't be," Sonja said, "If you had paid us any special attention, chances were that you would have been in danger as well. Allan almost killed me five years ago when he finally caught up with me. Thanks to him, I only have one functional lung. But it's okay, now," Sonja told her cheerfully.

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Sonja," Katia said quietly, "But I'll always suffer from guilt for not helping you two. I do hope you can forgive me,"

Sonja reached across the table and took Katia's frail hands in her own. She locked her gaze on the old woman's eyes. "I was never mad at you, Katia," she said, "So there's nothing to forgive. Please stop worrying."

Katia nodded stiffly, sniffling again. She pulled her hands away, shakily reaching into her coat pockets, "Oh dear me, look at the mess my mascara's turned into!" she mumbled as she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose. She giggled and sighed. "Sonja, I just can't get over it. You've grown up into such a beautiful young woman and you're so strong. Reminds me of myself in younger days. Of course in my day, it wasn't proper for young women to be so willful, but I showed 'em, huh?"

She chuckled. "It used to be where we could only count on ourselves, huh, Sonja?"

"I'm glad that's no longer true," Sonja said softly. "Because if it were, I wouldn't be here right now,"

Kaiba glanced at her discreetly as her hand found his under the shadows of the table.

Katia nodded knowingly and sighed, leaning her chin on her hand and gazing out the window. "Yes. Mysterious, isn't it? Life can be so cruel and so full of suffering but we still find reasons to keep living," she murmured.

//ooo//

That night, Kaiba found it difficult to go to sleep. Maybe it was the bedroll or maybe it was his mind at work. Either way, he ended up propped up on his elbow, watching the moon rise through the window. His thoughts kept drifting back to Sonja. That wasn't too abnormal these days. After all, he was helping her fight her demons so they could concentrate on a possible future, the future that rightfully belonged to them. It might have been said that he'd lost his mind, going to all this trouble. To people who didn't know her, Sonja was just too weak to fight alone. What they didn't know was that she'd _been_ fighting alone for most of her life and had finally asked him for his help only a few months ago.

He jumped slightly at the sound of scraping and sat up, whirling to the door.

"Who's there?" he asked sharply. The door slid open slightly and he relaxed. "Sonja," he mumbled, "What's wrong?"

"Same as you, apparently," she replied quietly, "Can't sleep."

She moved inside and shut the door, slowly coming over to sit beside him. He adjusted the sleeves of his shirt and sighed. "I suppose we're both thinking too much," he muttered.

"Yeah. But I already knew that you're the type to think about everything," Sonja said with a light smile.

"You knew that because you're the same type," he smirked. Sonja sighed and turned away. "Well, meeting Katia again today made me wonder. Am I being selfish?"

"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've always ended up dragging you into my world and my problems. I feel selfish for taking so much of your time, Seto."

"So what do you want?" he asked.

"I always wondered why you never let me be a part of your world and your problems. Except in slighter circumstances involving both of us, I've never been able to help you because you never let me. Why?"

Kaiba regarded her carefully, considering her question. She was right, of course. He'd never allowed her to become a part of his problems because he didn't want to get her involved. But when he paused to think about it, she'd let down her walls and allowed him into her world. Why hadn't he done the same up until now? He then wondered why she was bringing this up and he voiced this aloud to her. Sonja seemed a little taken aback, but she just smiled slightly and shrugged. "Because I felt like it," she replied. He smiled in spite of himself.

"Sonja, it's midnight," he said, "We should really try to sleep,"

Sonja fidgeted slightly, tugging a loose strand on the corner of her shirt. "Hey," she said, "Is it...is it okay if I stay here with you tonight?" she asked quietly. "Sorry, I'm just a little antsy and I feel safer with you,"

He frowned concernedly, but nodded and shifted to the side slightly. Sonja moved closer and lay down beside him. She glanced up at him and smiled. "You should try to sleep, too," she mumbled.

He allowed his body to relax as he lay down as well, watching her. As his eyes adjusted more, he could see her eyes were still open.

"Seto, I was thinking," she murmured.

"Hm?"

"Do you ever wonder if the things we do were ever preordained? You know, destined to happen?"

Kaiba just sighed and flipped the blanket over them, pulling her into his arms and closing his eyes. "Just go to sleep, Sonja," he mumbled, "We'll talk about it in the morning,"

Sonja blinked and laughed to herself, snuggling closer to him and closing her own eyes.

"All right," she whispered.

A/N: I can't get Google Earth to work for me so I had to make up some places in Nara. A good deal of this will have to be inspired by my imagination, but the townhouse will be coming up soon. The townhouse is actually based on a real place I used to live that I HATE MORE THAN ANYTHING!!! Okay, got that out of my system. I promise the next update will be much sooner.


	17. The Scene of The Crime

A/N: Okay, I'm back on track with this story. As it turns out, losing my grasp on Kaiba's character actually helped. I can write more easily for him now. 0_o Oh well. Cute fluff in this story, but not of the sort you're expecting. Cauryn came up with this fluff a long time ago and I finally got to write it.

General disclaimers apply.

The Scene of The Crime

Kaiba awoke abruptly to the sound of a shrill scream close by. He shot up and whirled to Sonja. She was curled into a tight ball, clenching her teeth and muttering fiercely to herself.

"No...no, leave them alone!"

Kaiba shifted into a kneeling position, gently clasping her shoulder and shaking her lightly, "Sonja, wake up," he said.

Suddenly, she lashed out violently, driving him backward as she staggered to her feet, eyes wildly glaring at him. He frowned at this; she looked awake, but was she really? Up until now, he'd never seen one of her terrors in full strength. She didn't appear to recognize him anymore.

"Sonja?"

"Stay away from me!" she snarled, "Won't...won't stand for it, you hear me!?"

Kaiba took a cautious step backward, eying her carefully and trying to remember what Sophie had told him about these things. Now that he thought about it, Sophie said that no matter how awake Sonja might have seemed, the chances were high that she was technically still deeply asleep. Sophie had also warned him that she often got exceedingly violent.

"Sonja, it's me, Seto, remember?" he said carefully, backing up slowly. She took a step toward him, fists clenched and breathing heavily.

"Liar. Liar. Always...always lying to me!" Sonja snapped.

"I'm not lying to you, Sonja," Kaiba said.

"Liar! Liar! _Liar!_" she yelled, lunging viciously at him. Fortunately, he'd prepared for this and sidestepped her, grabbing her arm and yanking her back. He wrapped one arm about her waist and the other across her shoulders, pinning her against him. She struggled furiously, but he was stronger than she was.

"Let me go!" she gasped.

"Not until you calm down," he countered.

"I am calm," she hissed at him.

"I don't believe you," Kaiba replied, tightening his grip around her. Sonja twisted her neck downward and decisively sank her teeth into his arm. Kaiba grunted in pain, but refused to let go. "Stop it, Sonja," he snapped, "You're having another night terror, don't you get that?"

She thrashed violently, raising her head again as she started to cry in fear and frustration, "Let me go! Let me go!" she moaned in exhaustion. Because she wasn't completely awake and aware of what she was doing, she was wearing herself out faster. Suddenly, her body went limp in his arms and he frowned suspiciously at the sudden lack of flare in her. "Please let me go," she murmured, sobbing softly, "Please, don't hurt me anymore! No more! Please, no more!"

He loosened his grip around her, catching her before she fell to the floor. Sonja thrashed away from him and huddled against the wall, pulling her arms tightly against her chest, shaking her head slowly, her hair slowly falling over her shoulders, "Please, stop! No more, please! No more!"

Kaiba just watched, feeling somewhat helpless. Seeing her like this was enough to make him want to commit cold-blooded murder. He hesitantly reached a hand out to her shoulder. She gasped sharply and whirled, eyes wide in terror as she shrunk away from him, actually flinching away from his touch as though he'd struck her.

"No, no, no, please, no!" she mumbled. "No, I'm sorry! Please, no! No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Sonja, listen," he said as soothingly as he could manage, "It's me, okay?"

Sonja's mouth moved, but no words were formed. Instead, she just shook her head and cringed away from him.

"Sonja, there's nothing to be afraid of. Don't you remember? We came out here to help you get over this."

Sonja seemed to be calming slightly, though he couldn't be sure. But some of the absolute and utter horror had dissipated from her eyes and she'd stopped shaking.

"Hey," he continued, "You know I'm right. There's nothing to be afraid of. You're safe now, remember? Allan's gone for good, Sonja. He can't ever hurt you again,"

He inched closer, carefully reaching out to pull her into his arms, holding her tightly and hoping that she'd be able to wake up from this soon.

"Come on, Sonja, wake up," he coaxed. After a few minutes, he glanced down at her. Her eyes were closed, her breathing returned to normal. She'd returned to sleep. He breathed a sigh of relief. He'd actually been a little scared there. He gently lifted her up, carrying her back over and laying her back down on the bedroll. Then, he sat down beside her with a sigh. Every one in a while, something happened that made him hate Allan even more than he already did, considering that was even possible. He was doing everything he could think of to help her escape his presence still looming over her but from the looks of it, she was never going to completely be rid of him. Psychological scars ran deep. Sonja's would probably never heal.

She seemed to be at peace now, soundly asleep. With any luck, she wouldn't remember any of this come morning.

//ooo//

Sonja heard the chattering of birds outside the screen before she actually saw them. She felt strangely weary, despite being sure she'd gotten a fair amount of rest the night before. She opened her eyes and sat up, her hair falling over her shoulder as she did. She brushed it away from her face and squinted at the sharp sunlight drifting in. "Morning?" she murmured.

She turned at the sound of plastic hitting the floor. Kaiba was sitting at the table a few feet away, his sleeve rolled up as he bandaged some kind of red mark on his arm. He reached down to pick up the little plastic first-aid kit from the floor and then glanced up as he noticed that she was awake.

"You're up," he said, "About time,"

"Seto? How long was I asleep?" Sonja asked.

"It's about ten-thirty," Kaiba said, "You were so deeply asleep I couldn't wake you,"

Not that he blamed her, especially after what happened. In all actuality, he hadn't tried all that hard to wake her. He figured she really needed the rest. Sonja, however, didn't feel the same way. Her jaw dropped and she sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging.

"Ten-thirty? Well, jeez, you should have thrown some water on me or something," Sonja said, shifting off the bedroll and moving over to sit beside him at the table. "You're always getting on my case about being early," she said. Her gaze shifted to his arm as he finished with the bandage, pulling his sleeve back down. She frowned.

"Seto? What happened to your arm?" she asked.

"Nothing, Sonja," he said, getting to his feet, "We need to get ready to go."

Something in his voice made her suspicious, sending a shiver down her spine. She stood up, staring after him, "Did you cut yourself or something?"

"No. Look, I told you, it's nothing. Just get ready to go," he snapped. He stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. Sonja felt strangely uneasy. This feeling remained rooted deep in her stomach as she returned to her own room and got dressed, opting to wear a plain pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved white blouse. She put on her jacket and flipped her hair out from inside it, braiding it loosely. She buttoned her coat up as she headed out to join him by the car. She climbed inside and waited while he started up the engine.

"Is there any place in particular you want to visit?" he asked. She pushed her hand inside her pocket and reemerged with a key. Kaiba peered at it curiously. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

"Yes," Sonja answered, "Arika said she got it from the landlady. It's the key to our old townhouse apartment. Arika said that it hasn't been touched in nineteen years."

Kaiba still recalled the place from Noah's memory sequences five years ago. They were as fresh in his mind as the day he saw them.

"Are you sure, then?" he asked.

"Yeah, just go before I change my mind," Sonja muttered. Kaiba pulled out of the parking lot and drove away from the hotel, heading back in the same direction they'd gone yesterday. Sonja had said that the townhouse was located a short distance away from the park that had been their first stop. Sure enough, once they passed it and paused at a red light at a busy intersection, Sonja instructed him to go to the right. He did so and continued straight along the street until she pointed right again, this time into a smaller road where a large row of buildings painted yellow and green could be seen behind a grove of trees at the end.

"Turn right again," she said, "Ours was number 37-B."

Kaiba drove slowly, counting the numbers as he went until he spotted it. He pulled into 37-B's respective carport and shut the engine off. He glanced at Sonja, waiting to see what she was going to do. She had her braid draped over her shoulder, playing with the strands of hair at the end of it. She looked up at him, realized he was waiting for her and then turned to open her door. Kaiba thought about offering her the chance to skip this, but he figured that she'd probably turn it down if he had. He turned and got out, slamming the door shut behind him while Sonja went around and started up the walkway, approaching the door. The outside of the apartment looked fine. The gardeners clearly took care of it along with the complexes on either side of it. The stretch of building they were on faced a large hill of dirt behind a construction fence. The city was probably planning to build something there; either that or they'd just torn something down.

Sonja inserted the key into the lock and turned, grasping the doorknob and shoving it inwards. The hinges protested shrilly from disuse and a cloud of dust fell from the door frame above. Sonja fanned the dust away and stepped inside. Kaiba followed after her, closing the door. He figured that she probably expected a mess of some kind, but he knew she wasn't expecting what they were seeing right in front of them.

The sofa that had once sat beneath the window lay driven backward on its back, the cushions shredded and punctured by some kind of knife. The television lay on its side, the screen cracked and shattered. Where Damon's bookshelves had been by the sofa, there was nothing now but empty space. The shelves lay smashed and broken on the floor, the books nibbled and eaten by mice and moths. The evidence of mice lay everywhere and holes in the carpet were evident of their existence in this place.

Sonja slowly proceeded forward, carefully making her way through the wreckage toward the kitchen. Kaiba followed discreetly, staring around at the chaos before him in disbelief. Time hadn't left a single article untouched.

The kitchen looked almost as bad as the living room. The fridge door hung open on one rusty hinge, the other having given way long ago. Kaiba covered his mouth and nose at the smell rising up from it. He was beginning to wonder why the landlady had left this place so untouched for so many years. The kitchen table had met the same fate as the bookshelves. The porcelain counters were cracked and broken and the windows were grimy and dusty, so much so that light couldn't even penetrate them. Sonja moved to the sliding glass door and attempted to peer through the grime. She could see the yard and the other apartment complexes. This early in the morning, she was sure she could see people sitting out on the porch of the one directly across from hers. A little girl jumped to her feet and started pointing fervently at Sonja, what little could be seen of her, anyway. Sonja gasped sharply and flinched away from the window, reflexively hiding from the neighbors. If any of the original tenants remained, Sonja was nothing more than a bad memory to them and a legendary ghost to their children.

Sonja picked her way back through the rubble. She raised her eyes to Kaiba briefly and then turned back the way they'd come, heading to the stairs leading to the second floor. The carpet covering the stairs was moldy and worn through in places, but the stairs themselves were metal and safe enough to tread on. Sonja carefully made her way up them, seemingly lost in her own little world. Kaiba just followed her, allowing her her space to think.

They reached the landing at the top. Kaiba remembered this spot from where Sonja had knelt as a little girl to listen to her parents arguing about Allan and the death of her older brother. She picked her way along the faded carpet till she reached the room closest to them on the left. The door swung slightly ajar and she pushed it open.

"Whose room was this?" Kaiba asked.

"Sam's," she replied, almost wistfully. She disappeared inside. Kaiba made his way over and glanced in through the doorway.

Sam's room was a mess, to put it lightly. Sonja's parents had left it almost untouched, but dust and cobwebs covered everything otherwise. It had been miraculously spared by Allan's goons the night of the attack. Sonja brushed aside a spider's web and lifted up a guitar off its stand. She set it on the dusty bed and ran her fingers delicately over the strings. The unmistakable sound echoed in the room, a specter of her distant past.

"I was always a light sleeper, even when I was little," she said, "He used to write little melodies for me, to help me sleep at night,"

She left the guitar on the bed and turned to the nightstand. On top sat a dusty picture frame, constructed from cherry wood. She lifted it off and blew the dust off the frame, brushing the rest away with her fingers. The picture inside showed Sam sitting on a log at the beach, pretending it was a motorcycle with Sonja sitting in front of him, waving at whoever was taking the picture.

She turned the frame over and undid the latches holding the glass in place. She removed the picture inside and folded it carefully twice over, placing it into her pocket to save.

"This was all I wanted to find in here," she said, "I don't want to disturb anything of his. But...." she said, trailing off, turning toward the closet. She went over and opened it up, peering inside and reaching in to pull out a large gray sweater, covered in dust and cobwebs. She flicked a spider off and raised the faded fabric to her face, sniffing it lightly. She smiled. "I can still smell him," she said. She hugged the sweater close and turned away, closing the closet door. They left Sam's room and she closed the door gently behind her.

Sonja moved down the hallway and approached the end. There were three doors, one directly in front which Kaiba assumed was a closet, one to the right and one to the left. If he remembered correctly, Sonja and Sophie's room had faced the yard out back, so the room to the left must have been her parents' room. Understandably, she avoided her own old room for the moment to open the door to her parents' room. She stepped inside, staring around her sadly. Her parents' room had been demolished and ransacked by Allan's flunkies. It was difficult to tell one pile of debris with another pile of dust. Kaiba frowned when he caught a glimpse of a mouse dashing under the remains of the bed.

Sonja moved to what used to be the dresser. Kaiba had since deduced that she was searching for mementos of her family. The picture and sweater reminded her of Sam, whose scent, by some odd miracle still lingered on his clothing. He wondered what she'd want to find in here to remind her of her late mother and missing father.

She used a bent hangar to brush away a mass of spider webs woven all along the dresser. She reached out and carefully opened a little box on the dresser. It used to be a jewelry box, but most of the jewelry was gone. Sonja scanned through it with her eyes. Her eyes lit up ever so slightly and she gingerly took something out of the box. Her hand emerged with a locket similar to the one he'd given to her on Christmas. She pried it open, revealing two thumbnails of her parents' wedding day. She smiled and clasped the locket in her hands, gently placing it in her pocket to join the picture. Then, she turned, slowly moving out of the room and closing the door behind them.

"Just one place left to go," she said, glancing behind her. She turned, approaching her old room. She hesitated just briefly, but grasped the doorknob and turned it. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Kaiba followed, frowning. The room was exactly the same that it had been when he'd seen it in the memories as far as Sonja remembered it last. The furniture was still upended and smashed. A thick layer of dust covered everything. Sonja just stood amidst the wreckage, staring around at what used to be her room. She didn't make a move to right any of the furniture or search for anything she wanted to take back with her. She just stood stock still.

For the first time since they'd arrived, Kaiba approached her, clasping her shoulder lightly.

"I remember what happened," he told her.

"Yeah. Noah." Sonja mumbled. "It's like I remembered it. Everything. I saw everything from the roof outside. They destroyed everything."

"They're gone now, Sonja," Kaiba said, "By coming here, you've conquered this part of your memory. You can move forward, now."

"But I can't. Now I feel worse. I survived, but...."

"Sonja, you have to stop. You have to think about what you want to do, now," Kaiba admonished. Sonja turned to look at him. "What I want to do, huh?" she muttered.

"Yes. You've spent nineteen years doing what you _had_ to do. Now you can do what you _want _to do. So what is it you want to do, Sonja?"

Sonja glanced around at the ruins of her old home, the site of the last place she'd been truly happy until she and Kaiba had put Allan behind bars, fourteen years later. Now, nineteen years had passed and Allan's shadow hung over her like a curse, keeping her from living as she saw fit. Keeping her from being happy. At least, that's what she always thought. But now, it was beginning to sink in that if she wanted to move forward, Allan had to be forgotten. His cruelty toward her was over; he was locked firmly away and he could never bother her again. As an added bonus, she wasn't alone anymore. She had friends, she had Sophie, she had a new life she'd set up all on her own. And she had someone who truly cared about her, someone she wanted to be with more than anything.

Sonja smiled lightly to herself and turned to him. "I think I'd like to go one more place, if that's okay," she said.

"Where is it?"

"I'd like to visit mom,"

//ooo//

Back in Domino, Daichi waited impatiently outside the shop while Sophie finished whatever she was doing upstairs. He sighed irritably and checked his watch.

"Come on, already," he grumbled as the door opened and Sophie clomped down the stairs, landing clumsily at the bottom. She grinned at him. "All set!" she declared.

"Yeah, twenty minutes late," Daichi muttered under his breath. "The park was about to close."

"I'm so sure, especially in the evening on a Wednesday, Daichi," Sophie countered. "Look, this is supposed to be a date, right? Try to enjoy yourself a little."

"Sonja told me you like these old rides at the winter carnival," Daichi said. Sophie nodded exuberantly, "Of course! I'm not afraid of anything! After all, we have nothing to fear but fear itself...and spiders." Sophie added lamely. Daichi chuckled dryly and knocked his fist lightly against her forehead.

As they made their way through the city of melting snow toward the winter carnival, Sophie hummed and glanced up at the sky. Daichi quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"I was just wondering how Sonja and Mr. Kaiba are doing, that's all. I hope they aren't fighting too much," she added with a sigh.

"Those two sure make for the odd couple, don't they?" Daichi mumbled, scratching his head. Sophie giggled, "That's for sure, but people say the same about me and Mokuba and about the two of us, too, you know. Sonja and Mr. Kaiba have been 'friends' for years. Neither one would admit it, but we all knew that something else was developing during all that time. We were all kinda hoping things would work out on their own, but when they didn't, I guess we all made the decisions to take action."

"Who's we?" Daichi asked, bewildered.

"All of us who know them. Ursula, Roland, me, Joey, Mai, Tea, Yugi, Arika, Mokuba, and even Zigfried and his brother Leon. I never met those two, but Sonja talked about them. Mokuba and Leon apparently keep in touch and Leon told Mokuba, who told me that at the trade show, they started acting kind of differently around one another. The thing is, they're actually the lamest couple in history." Sophie muttered irritably. "They've known each other for five years, clearly liked the other one for almost as long as that, finally got together only four or so months ago, had only one date and other than that, they barely talk, at least not that I'm aware of."

"I'm not so sure it's a good thing that you're getting so involved in your sister's business," Daichi mumbled.

"I have to! If I didn't, those two would never have gotten together! Like I said, they're a lame couple, but they're so cute together!" Sophie squealed. She held up her index finger, reminding Daichi of a full of themselves college professor. "I only want what's best for my sister!" she declared.

Daichi rolled his eyes.

"Joey's the blond haired knucklehead, right?" he said. "I thought he hated Kaiba."

"He does. He's under the impression that Mr. Kaiba blackmailed my sister somehow in order to get back at him and Yugi. That isn't true, of course." Sophie told him.

"If what you said about them is true, it's a wonder they even became friends, much less got together," Daichi said ponderously. Sophie elbowed him.

"That's rude. But you do have a point," she said, breaking into hysterics, "You should have seen them in the beginning! Oh man, they couldn't _stand_ each other! But there must be some kind of warped god up there because despite everything they went through and how they act when you bring it up, it's pretty obvious what their feelings are,"

Sophie's expression grew wistful, almost nostalgic. "Like I said, I just want what's best for my sister. She's been through a lot and so has Mr. Kaiba,"

"What do you mean?"

"It's not my business to go into it," Sophie said, glancing briefly at him, "At least where Mr. Kaiba's concerned. And I'd rather let our past stay buried. But I heard something a while back that I think of when I think of them,"

"What's that?" Daichi asked. Sophie smiled and shrugged. "I heard that if a human loses something, an object like money or possessions, they can probably get it back. But if it's something more fundamental like warmth, humanity or happiness, then the only thing that can fill the cavern in their heart is another human being who shares the same emptiness. Sis and Mr. Kaiba both had that in common even from the start and I believe that that's what ultimately brought them together. They were kindred spirits seeking comfort from another like them, but were too pig-headed to admit it without a little help," she said, giggling. Daichi just stared at her as she faced forward again, spotted the Ferris wheel looming high in the afternoon sky and hurried forward, pointing at it excitedly. Daichi smiled faintly and moved to join her at the ticket gate. Sophie refused to let him pay for the entire thing and he refused to let her buy the tickets, so they agreed to each put in for their own ticket. By the time they'd reached this agreement, the cashier was in stitches.

Once inside, it was clear that the winter carnival wasn't increasingly popular due to the weather. A small handful of people waited at each ride and vendors sold things like hot chocolate and donuts instead of the usual fare. Sophie held onto Daichi's arm and took in her surroundings with increasing eagerness.

"Okay, so what should we do first?" she asked.

"Whatever you want to do; doesn't matter to me," Daichi replied. Sophie grimaced and flicked him on the forehead. "Dummy, we're here on a date. That means we both decide what we want to do." she said. Daichi just blinked, somewhat stunned.

"Uh, okay, then. How about we try some games?" he suggested. "I'd like to try to win you something,"

"That's sweet of you. But first, are you any good at the games because I don't want you wasting your money," Sophie said.

"I'm fairly decent. Hey, come on, I'm not an addict, okay? I have a limit; three tries and I'm done. Seriously! I give up if I can't do it in three tries!" Daichi protested at her skeptic glares. Sophie sighed and folded her arms, "Okay, I'll believe you. So, what are you good at?"

"I'm pretty good at the shooting gallery and that game where you try to pop the balloons," Daichi said.

"Okay, and I'll try too. I'll try not to show you up," Sophie said, winking.

There was a small row of game booths open a few meters away. The owner, bundled up and clearly miserable in the chilly outdoors, took Daichi's money somewhat numbly and handed him the pop gun for the gallery. Daichi braced, closing one eye as he aimed at the target. Sophie watched with baited breath as his finger slowly twitched on the trigger.

He fired once, then twice, landing a bulls-eye on the second try. Sophie stared in awe the entire time, amazed. She just watched as the man fumbled a large stuffed plush dog down from one of the hooks and handed it to him. Daichi took it, appeared slightly hesitant and made his way over to her, somewhat awkward.

"Uh," he said, his voice muffled from the fur, "Here. I, uh, won this for you,"

Sophie's gaze shifted from the dog to him and then back again. She smiled and took it gently, smiling at him. "I'm sorry for doubting your superior skills, master Daichi," she said with a fake bow. She shifted the dog in her arms so that its floppy front feet were draped around her neck so she held them there with her hand. He was nearly as long as she was tall.

"He's cute, Daichi," Sophie said, "Now I'd like to win you something,"

"Now it's my turn to ask if you're good at anything." Daichi said wryly, smirking. Sophie beamed and gave him a sly glance. "In a word; skeeball," she said.

Turned out she wasn't bluffing by a long shot. She scored a perfect one thousand by sinking ten balls into the hundreds slot at the skeeball booth. The operator said he'd never seen anything like it and asked Sophie to give him her number so she could teach him how to do that sometime.

The prizes offered ranged from stuffed animals to North Face Jackets. Sophie told Daichi to pick out what he wanted. Daichi chose a jacket. The operator handed it over, somewhat reluctantly and Daichi put it on, shoving his hands inside his pockets.

"Man, Sophie, you weren't kidding when you said you were good at skeeball," he said, "Do you know how expensive these jackets are?"

"I'd never seen one before, so no," Sophie replied as they wandered the carnival grounds. "But Mokuba and I played skeeball for years at the arcade. Mokuba taught me how to flick my wrist and made the ball curve just where I wanted it to go. That kid's as big a gamer as his brother is, in a way. But Mokuba's taste in games is more public oriented. Mr. Kaiba is more of a virtual reality and RPG type of guy."

"Hard to believe that squirt's a gamer," Daichi muttered. Sophie giggled. "You need to stop calling him that; one of these days, he's gonna deck you," she warned. She turned her gaze upwards and drew a sharp breath, her eyes glittering.

"Oh, lets' go up on the Ferris wheel!" she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him along, not noticing Daichi suddenly going pasty in complexion. Sophie dragged him into the line and stood bouncing on the balls of her feet with sheer excitement. She paid for their tickets this time. The Ferris wheel was a newer, larger model. The cars were actually little enclosed rooms with two seats on each side. It worked better this way for colder weather as it trapped in heat and made for a more comfortable ride.

"Come on, Daichi," Sophie exclaimed, pulling him into the next car as their turn came up. The attendant shut the door and stepped back. Daichi and Sophie sat together on the seat facing out toward the bay. Sophie placed her stuffed plush dog on the seat across from them and as the wheel started up, turned to look out the window behind them. It was now that she noticed Daichi's coloration. She frowned and peered at him concernedly. "Hey, are you okay? You're really pale," she pointed out. Daichi glanced briefly at her and then cleared his throat, focusing his gaze on the floor of the car.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"You're lying. Oh! Oh, no, don't tell me you're afraid of heights!" Sophie exclaimed in horror, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"No, uh, well, yeah, kinda. I can handle fast moving rides and things like that; the adrenaline rushers. But with a Ferris wheel, I just can't ever seem to relax. I always feel like the bottom is going to drop out on us or something," he said.

"I'm so sorry, Daichi. Why didn't you tell me? If I'd known, I wouldn't have dragged you up here," Sophie said, taking his hand as the wheel began to pick up speed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, not really," Daichi mumbled. Sophie blinked, chewed her lip in thought and then her eyes lit up as she hit on an idea. She looked over at him mischievously. " Well, maybe there's one thing that might help," she said. Daichi raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Sophie just grinned at him as she leaned in closer, brushed her lips against his in a fleeting kiss. She sat back and tilted her head.

"Any better?" she asked. Daichi stared at her in bewildered astonishment before glancing to the side awkwardly.

"Uh...not quite," he answered.

"Oh? Hm. Maybe a stronger dose, than?" she said as she kissed him lightly again. This time, Daichi returned it before pulling away and actually smiling faintly. "Well, what do you know? I believe your prescription is doing wonders, Dr. Sophie," he joked.

"Oh, good, I'm glad to hear it," Sophie said, snuggling up against him. "After all, Ferris wheels are supposed to be fun."

Daichi just chuckled, resting his head against hers. "I guess you're right," he said.

The gentle swaying of the Ferris wheel car and the sun beginning to set to the west over the water provided a hypnotic rhythm that threatened to bring about sleep. But even as Sophie fell prey to its deadly attractions, Daichi remained awake. He thought about what she'd told him earlier. He thought about the day in general. He thought about a lot of things in the eight quick rotations the wheel made before it began to slow to a stop. But for a while, that single moment seemed to last for years.

Daichi actually felt at peace for once and wondered what Arika would say if she knew. The thought made him want to laugh, but he didn't dare.

For the time being, Sophie was still asleep.

A/N: Was that cute or what??? I loved it!!! Sophie is almost as fun as Sonja is!! Yay!! What's kind of cool is that if it weren't for Cauryn, this sequel wouldn't exist. The original plot line was that Sonja was going to solve her mystery, remain simple friends with Kaiba, but then mysteriously disappear, never to be seen again. It was never going to be a hook-up in the first place. Everyone reading this, give a big shout out to Cauryn!!! Lol


	18. The Final Gambit

A/N: Dang! 19 pages!! I outdid myself here! I kind of wish Celebrian-Gladiola Elwyn was still around. She was my best critic. If you're reading this Elwyn, I hope you're doing okay. ^_^

This is the biggie! The uber big one!! I have something rather different in here and did my best not to make it cliché, so forgive me if I failed, in which case, I'll try to make it better. I still love it!!

The Final Gambit

Kaiba had opted to return to the hotel for a little while after leaving the townhouse. Sonja had stopped in to see the landlady and agree to surrender ownership of the place. Because it had never been legally abandoned to be sold, technically, the Gavens family still owned it. Sonja learned about the immense debt from unpaid leases and agreed to pay installments on it over the next few years to clear it. Then, she gave up the key, saying that everything inside the place could be thrown away. This included whatever belongings still belonged to her, Sophie and their parents.

And Sam's belongings.

Kaiba knew that it was tearing Sonja apart to relinquish her hold on her brother's things. But Sam didn't need them anymore, wherever he was now. Kaiba knew that Sonja understood this.

Back at the hotel, Kaiba set up his computer and waited while it searched out the wireless signal the hotel was supposed to have. He needed to let Damon know that they'd be visiting the cemetery later, just as Damon wanted and by Sonja's own free will. Kaiba was actually surprised; Sonja was faring better than he ever thought she would in such a short amount of time. It was really quite calming.

Kaiba signed into the online chat room, hoping Damon was there and that he wouldn't have to wait too long. Thankfully, Damon replied after only about fifteen minutes. Kaiba was beginning to wonder exactly how many times a day this guy logged on.

_DamonGavens:_**Okay, okay, so you're in Japan! Finally. How about finally letting me see her, huh? Please? PleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE!!!**

_SetoKaiba: _**Calm down. I have a few things to tell you first. We visited the townhouse and Sonja's relinquished all ownership of both the townhouse and the belongings inside. Is that all right with you?**

_DamonGavens: _**Show me someone who cares and I'll show you a guy who's about ready to chew his arm off in frustration, buddy.**

_SetoKaiba: _**Okay, okay, jeez. We'll be heading out there in an hour or so. Do you think you could meet us there?**

_DamonGavens:_** Sure, but what if she doesn't remember me???**

_SetoKaiba: _**Look, just stay out of sight until I give the signal, okay?**

_DamonGavens: _**All right, all right. I'm heading out now. I'm all jittery!!!**

Kaiba logged off, somewhat weary now. He waited a few moments to regain his composure and then shut down his computer, getting up and leaving his room to go and check on Sonja. Before he could even knock, however-

"_It's open,_"

Kaiba started in surprise, but opened the door and stepped inside. Sonja was sitting up against the wall, knees folded up and watching him.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked.

"I know your footsteps," Sonja answered, "Once I get to know a person well enough, I can tell who they are simply by the pattern in the way they walk. You're very calm and steady, so it had to be you,"

Kaiba just stared at her in bewildered amazement. "You're weird, Sonja," he muttered.

"You're hardly one to talk," she countered. "At least you're not obsessive and compulsive like you used to be."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," Kaiba grumbled at her.

Sonja stood up, watching him expectantly. "Well? Are we going?" she asked, somewhat more reserved than she was a second ago.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm a little suspicious, though. You're awfully calm about this, now,"

Sonja's eyes narrowed in thought and she folded her arms. "I've just finally come to terms with it, that's all," she said, "That for my life to move forward, I need to stop looking back. I want to be able to live and not worry or suffer so much anymore. At least, to a more normal degree in the least. Is that asking for too much?" Sonja said, turning to him.

"No," he said simply. It was all he needed to say.

Sonja hummed and turned toward the window. "Hey," she said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"Why do you always try to protect me even when you know that I can easily protect myself?" she asked. Kaiba frowned. What was going on? How come she was acting so oddly all of a sudden? Truth was, that was a question even he didn't know the answer to. Even for a short time after they'd met, he'd felt an urge to protect her, mostly because at the time, she was Sophie's sister and he was only looking out for his brother's new friend. But as time passed, he began to feel that urge on a more personal level. Now, he protected her not only because he had to, but because he wanted to. He hated seeing her in pain and did his best to keep that from happening. She'd already been through so much anyway. She was right, of course. She was perfectly capable of defending herself when she had to. In truth, he didn't have an answer to her question.

She turned back around suddenly, smiling. "Sorry, stupid question," she said, lightly knocking her fist against her forehead, sign language for stupidity or foolishness. She moved away from the wall and made her way over, pausing beside him. "Shall we go, then?" she asked.

"Yeah,"

On the way out, he cast occasional glances at her, but she didn't notice, or if she did, she didn't care.

"Sonja," he said. She looked over at him.

"Hm?"

"I'm actually impressed that you've made it through this as well as you have," he said quietly.

"Well, I knew that you wouldn't let anything happen to me. After all, you said that I could count on you, right?" Sonja replied. "Besides, I suppose a small part of me knew that I couldn't run forever. And you're right; once I finish here, I can truly leave for good and move on. There's just one thing left to do and that's accept my mom's death."

"Right," Kaiba said, "Once you do this, you can start to concentrate on your own future."

"That's refreshing, hearing you say that in a different context, Seto," Sonja said teasingly. Kaiba nudged her.

Sonja vaguely remembered where the cemetery was, although she admitted that she couldn't be sure where her mother had been buried. Kaiba figured that he'd probably know once they got there. He'd told Damon to meet them at Isabelle's grave. He just hoped that Damon would stay out of sight until he told him to show himself.

The cemetery was located in a quiet corner of Nara, sheltered behind a shrub fence and surrounded by oak trees. The fence was opened for general public to visit. But they waited for several minutes before going in.

"Dang, it's easier talking about it than actually doing it," Sonja grumbled. "I won't even know where to look for her grave,"

"We have to start somewhere," he said. "Come on,"

They got out of the car and approached the gate. While Sonja fussed over how she was going to find the grave, Kaiba kept his eye out for Damon. If he remembered the memory sequence correctly, Damon shouldn't be hard to spot. It was just a matter of finding him.

The inside of the cemetery was actually smaller than it looked on the outside, but a good deal of graves occupied it. Sonja hummed and folded her arms. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to check each one," she said. She glanced at Kaiba, but he didn't seem to hear her. He just slowly scanned the cemetery grounds, seemingly lost in thought. Sonja frowned.

"Are you looking for something?" she asked.

"No," he said, catching himself in the nick of time, "But seeing how we have no other option, that idea makes sense. Why don't we split up to look for it?"

"Good idea. I'll go this way, then," Sonja said. She started off, staring down at each grave for her mother's name. Kaiba headed off in the opposite direction, keeping his eyes out for Damon while scanning the grave names for Isabelle's. Of course, a good deal of them were written in Japanese. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. So instead, he just searched for Damon. Fortunately, he didn't have long to wait.

As Kaiba made his way along the gravel path, he noticed movement off to his right in a sheltered patch of trees. He paused, watching as the person stooped down, placed a bunch of miniature white roses on a gravestone and then straightened up again. He kept his hands in his coat pockets, his clothing faded and torn in areas. He carried himself stiffly, almost warily, but at the same time, emanated an aura of silent weakness. His messy white hair blew slightly in the winter breeze. This man was nothing at all like the one from the memory sequence Kaiba saw. Nineteen years of hardship and pain had taken its toll. Damon Gavens was a defeated man.

Kaiba turned and slowly made his way over. Damon hadn't noticed him yet, but as he approached, his worn blue eyes showed no recognition. As Kaiba got closer, he could see that Damon had indeed changed in nineteen years. His face was lined with past suffering endured at the hands of his captors. His eyes were cold and hostile and Kaiba found it difficult to believe that this was the same man he'd been talking with through email for the past several months.

Damon frowned as Kaiba approached. Kaiba instinctively stayed back a good distance. From here, he could see Sonja's same variety of hostility radiating from her father.

"Can I help you?" Damon growled.

Kaiba didn't answer right away. He just glanced down at the grave where the roses lay, dying in the harsh winter air.

"Isabelle's grave," he muttered. Damon scowled.

"How do you know her name?" he snapped. "Who are you?"

"You're Damon Gavens, right?" Kaiba said, keeping his face emotionless. Damon registered slight surprise, but frowned. "Yeah. Who are you?"

"You know who I am," Kaiba said. Damon's eyes instantly widened and he started to shake, "I-It's y-you!" he stammered, "You came, just like you promised! You really came!"

He stumbled forward, reaching shakily out to him, "P-Please, is she here? Where is she? Please, just let me see her!" he begged, on the verge of tears. He sank to his knees, sobbing, "I just want to see my little girl! Please!"

"Pull yourself together, Damon," Kaiba said, "Sonja's here. She's looking for this grave as we speak."

Damon raised his eyes hopefully, "She is?" he whispered.

"Yes, and I'll go and get her. But you have to stay out of sight for a few minutes, okay? Oh, and I'll need you to promise me something,"

"Anything! Anything, so long as I can see my baby girl again!" Damon exclaimed, leaping to his feet and grabbing his shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"I want to talk to you after you see her. You need to promise to hear me out in the very least,"

"Of course! Of course, I will, just please, let me just see her!" Damon sobbed, burying his face in his hands. Kaiba was surprised at himself for feeling a stab of pity for this man. He knew that five years ago, he'd probably have mocked him for this show of such weakness. But now, he knew that what Damon was showing wasn't weakness. Not by a long shot. Kaiba had spent a long time confusing love and sorrow with weakness. Damon had endured just as much, if not more, suffering than Sonja, his daughter. It was now thanks to Sonja that he understood the difference between weakness and love.

Kaiba reached out and put his hand on Damon's shoulder. Damon's head whipped up.

"Calm down," Kaiba said, "Just wait and hide for a few minutes while I get her. You want to surprise her, right?"

Damon's face broke into a huge grin and he cleared his throat. "Yes, sorry," he said, attempting to salvage his cool composure. He turned and headed up behind the large oak tree planted behind the grave. Kaiba turned and headed back the way he'd come, searching Sonja out. He spotted her wandering along the fifth or sixth row of graves.

"Sonja!" he called. She stopped and glanced up, waving.

"Seto! Any luck?"

"Yes!" he replied, "It's over here!"

Sonja's face lit up and she hurried over, moving back onto the gravel. She'd just started a fast run when she missed her footing and toppled over hard onto the road. Kaiba winced, but sighed as she picked herself up and rubbed her forehead painfully. She made her way over, hissing in pain. "That hurt," she muttered.

"Have a nice trip?" Kaiba teased. Sonja scowled.

"Gee, thanks for your concern," she snapped. "Anyway, you said you found it?"

"Yeah, it's over here." he told her.

He led her to the grave and Sonja approached it carefully. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the roses. "Someone visited her," she said. She sat down, reaching out to brush her fingers against the flowers. "Mom loved white roses," she said. "She always tried to grow them in our flower beds out back, but she never had much of a green thumb,"

She lifted one of the roses out of the bundle and brought it up to look at more closely. "But still, I wonder who brought them? I didn't know we had any living relatives left and I'm sure that mom's friends stopped visiting a long time ago,"

"You really have no idea who might have left them?" Kaiba said.

"No, none whatsoever," Sonja answered. Kaiba turned to look up behind the tree where Damon stood waiting patiently. Damon could just barely be seen watching the two of them, his eyes focused entirely on Sonja. Kaiba had to give him credit for his patience. He chuckled and turned back to Sonja.

"Sonja," he said, "Do you really have no idea who left them?"

Sonja glanced up at him strangely. "No," she said, "Why do you keep asking?"

She was getting suspicious, especially when he smiled suddenly and glanced up the rise toward a large oak tree planted up there. Sonja frowned and followed his gaze. She caught a glimpse of a shadow behind the tree, ducking out of sight when she focused on that spot.

"Who's up there?" she asked Kaiba.

"Why don't you go see?" he said quietly. Sonja straightened up, skeptical. "Seto, what are you trying to pull?" she asked. But she started up toward the tree anyway, trying to peer around it to catch a glimpse of the person. "Hello?"

Kaiba shook his head and sighed. Damon was getting cold feet. Fortunately, his desire to see Sonja again overcame whatever fears he had. He hesitated and then stepped out from behind the tree, moving slowly down the embankment toward her. Sonja frowned in confusion as Damon drew nearer. He stared anxiously at her, praying she'd remember him.

"Sonja," he said so hoarsely, she had to strain to hear him. Sonja was rooted to the spot, her eyes widening in disbelief. "It...it can't...but...," she muttered. Damon stopped a few feet away from her, shakily reaching his hand out to brush against her face.

"Sonja," he whispered, "He was right; you're all grown up,"

"D-Dad?" Sonja exclaimed. Damon's face wrinkled slightly and his shoulders bunched up as he started to cry again.

"Sonja, it really is you!" he sobbed.

"Dad!" she cried, throwing her arms around him and hugging him for all she was worth. "You're alive!"

"Sonja, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Damon exclaimed, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"

"Stop apologizing dad," Sonja said, her voice breaking, "You're gonna make me cry too,"

"It...like I told that guy, I could'a been looking for you and I...and I, I just...I just...." Damon stammered, shaking his head, "God, I'm the w-worst father on the p-planet,"

"Dad, stop it," Sonja said tearfully, "You're not!"

"But...but you and Sophie, the two of you must just h-hate me!"

"We don't! We've missed you!" Sonja argued as she started crying too. "We missed you, dad,"

Kaiba turned and moved off a short distance. After all, this part of the mission was now complete. Sonja watched him go from the corner of her eye as she pieced it together. She smiled and sighed.

_Thank you, Seto._

//ooo//

Kaiba waited a few meters away, sitting on a small hill overlooking the urban road they'd arrived on. He figured Damon would want some time alone to talk to Sonja so he didn't move until he heard approaching footsteps.

"Hey," Damon said, "I guess you weren't lying to me, kid. Thanks."

"Sure. So, did you talk to her?" Kaiba asked as Damon sat down next to him with a sigh. "Yeah, I did. I told her that no matter what, I'm not leaving her again. Even if it's not right away, the one thing I'm sure of is that I'm going back to the states with her. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. But why are you asking me? I've got nothing to do with your decision." Kaiba pointed out.

"That's true, but without you, I'd never have found her again. I owe you big time, kid,"

"Okay, for starters, stop calling me kid. And don't forget that you promised to hear me out with what I want to talk to you about," Kaiba reminded him.

"I know, I know. I told Sonja that I needed to talk to you and to wait for us back there. Now then, what'd you want, kid?"

Kaiba sighed heavily and decided to overlook Damon's idiocy. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about this and now, he was finally sure of it. Now all that was needed was for Damon to hear it. He just hoped it worked.

"Listen," he said, "I know this is sudden, seeing how you just got Sonja back," Kaiba muttered. "Would you be willing to give her up again?"

Damon frowned. "Give her up again? Why? I haven't seen her in nineteen years, kid. Are you saying you don't want me to follow the two of you back to the states? Nothing doing, pal, I'm never leaving her and Sophie ever again!"

"I'm not saying that, Damon," Kaiba said firmly, "You wouldn't have to leave and you're free to come back with us if that's what you want to do. I'm asking if...if you're willing to give her up...to someone else," he added silently. Damon frowned suspiciously, trying to wrap his mind around the words. Finally, it dawned on him and his jaw dropped. Kaiba barely flinched as Damon grabbed his collar and yanked him to his feet, "You little punk! Are you saying that you-that you and Sonja...!"

"Just calm down," Kaiba said as easily as he could manage. Damon was cutting off his windpipe. "Let me go, please,"

Damon released him slowly, stepping back and shaking his head in disbelief. Kaiba cleared his throat and reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out a box. He handed it to Damon who took it shakily, staring at it in astonishment and anger.

"So this is what you meant? Like hell I'll...I mean, I won't allow....ugh, I just can't...." he babbled, pacing back and forth and tugging his hair. Kaiba just watched him, his face betraying nothing about how anxious he was. He clenched his fists to stop his hands from shaking.

Finally, Damon sighed and stopped his frantic shuffling around, holding the box up limply and glancing at Kaiba wearily. "You're serious, huh, kid?" he mumbled.

"Yes,"

Damon tossed the box lightly into the air and caught it deftly. Then he sat down and shook his head. "Nineteen years, kid, nineteen years I been without them. Sonja was my first little girl, you know. I still remember the day she was born. Happiest day of my life; my first baby girl. She almost didn't make it, you know," he said, twisting the box around in his fingers, "She was two months early. Isabelle went into labor at three in the morning on a stormy night. When we got to the hospital and the doctors got her out, she wasn't breathing. She didn't cry. Her lungs were poorly developed because she was so early. She was put into incubation in ICU and kept at the hospital. The doctors gave her two weeks. I went to the hospital every day and watched her as she slept connected to all those machines and contraptions meant to save her life. The doctors kept telling me not to get my hopes up, but I didn't listen. I'd already picked out her name and I kept talking to her through the glass, calling her by that name.

"Then, one day, the most amazing thing happened. I was standing there, talking to her like I'd been doing for the past week when suddenly, she opened her eyes and looked at me through the glass. It was only for a moment, but it was there. She closed her eyes again and went back to sleep, but from that moment on, she started to improve! By the time another week had passed, Sonja's body was in perfect working order and as Isabelle and I left with her three weeks after she was born, the doctors called it nothing short of a miracle. She grew up with no lasting effects and by the time Sophie was born, you'd never tell that Sonja almost had her life taken away before she even got to enjoy it."

Damon stared up into the sky through the tree branches. He draped his arm over one upraised knee, still holding the box.

Kaiba sighed. "She's a strong girl," he pointed out.

"She sure is. She's my little girl, kid. So, are you really serious? Even after what I just told you?"

"What you told me has nothing to do with the present," Kaiba said. Damon smirked. He chuckled and shook his head. "Damn, you're not afraid to speak your mind, are you? That's a good answer and you're right. Sonja's healthy now, so there's no reason to dwell on that fact. So then, even _if_ I agree, are you capable of supporting my daughter, financially as well as emotionally?"

"I've been supporting her emotionally for a long time," Kaiba told him, "Sonja means more to me than almost anything. As for supporting her financially, that won't be a problem. However, knowing her like I do, she'll absolutely refuse my help unless she's desperate." he said wryly.

"You're pretty confidant and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, there, kid," Damon said, getting to his feet and handing the box back, "That doesn't mean I like it, but I have to remember that Sonja's not a little girl anymore. I always thought that once she met a boy, I'd get my time to scare him a little before actually agreeing to anything,"

"You can try, but I don't scare easily," Kaiba said.

"Smart-mouth," Damon snapped. He sighed heavily. "Well, I don't like it, but I have no real say in it, now do I? When it all comes down to it, it's up to Sonja when you ask her. But listen here," he growled, glaring at Kaiba, "If you hurt her, you'll be sorry."

"Lean off the panic button. I'm actually insulted that you'd think I'd intentionally hurt her," Kaiba snapped.

"Just remember what I said, wiseguy," Damon grumbled. "Well, if you're gonna ask her, better do it while you've still got the nerve to. I'll be hanging around." Damon growled at him.

Kaiba turned, slowly making his way back to the grave where Sonja waited. All the way, he kept running over different ways to ask, all of which seemed ridiculous. He couldn't remember ever being this nervous before. Sure, thinking about it had been easy enough, but now, he was actually going to do it. He frowned. This wasn't him, no way. He never let anything get the best of him.

Until now, that is.

He found Sonja sitting in front of the grave, staring down at it. She didn't notice his presence until he was right beside her. She jumped up, surprised until she recognized him.

"Seto, don't sneak up on me like that," she complained.

"Who's sneaking? You looked like you were deep in thought about something," he said. She glanced back down at Isabelle's grave, her expression wistful.

"Yeah, I was. Guilty as charged, right?" she said in a failed attempt at lighthearted joking. She sighed. "So much has happened since we got here, Seto. We visited the townhouse just a few hours ago, but it already feels like years. How long have you known about dad?"

"Several months, Sonja. I contacted him before we went to Seattle. Believe me, it wasn't easy to convince him you were not only still alive, but that I was acquainted with you."

"How did he react to our relationship?" Sonja asked quietly.

"Grudgingly," Kaiba said. Sonja giggled. "That sounds like him all right," she said. She moved to rest her head on his shoulder. "But I'm relieved he didn't make a show of it."

Kaiba sighed, attempting to strengthen his resolve. It was now or never. He stepped back slightly, moving so he faced her.

"Sonja, can I ask you something?"

"What's stopping you from asking me anyway?" Sonja said, smiling. He chuckled and shook his head. "You're right; what's wrong with me?" he joked. He grew serious again and raised his hand up to gently rest against her face. Sonja frowned concernedly and brought her own hand up to his. "Seto? Is something wrong? You seem...I don't know, anxious about something."

Kaiba looked away, gathering his thoughts. "Sonja, I don't know if I've ever asked you. Once you finally come to terms with everything, what do you want to do with your life?"

"What I want to do?" she repeated, glancing away in thought. "You know something, I never really gave much thought to it. I didn't go to college because I couldn't afford it, but even if I did, what would I have studied for a career? I'm not really good at much. But, to answer your question, I haven't really got a plan to be honest. I'm good with plants and I can write, but not much else."

"Stop putting yourself down, Sonja," Kaiba admonished.

"I'm not. I'm really not good with much else besides plants and a word processor. Well, and maybe animals. Though, I have to admit, it actually is kind of fun going with you to those trade shows. Even though I don't understand most of it, it's enjoyable. But now that I think about it, I've got no idea what to do with the rest of my life."

Kaiba glanced off, seeming like he wanted to say something, but was apparently unable to decide how to say it. He was so sure he'd prepared for this. He'd never before run into an obstacle he couldn't overcome. Now shouldn't have been any different, right? But then again, his other obstacles weren't as complex or as fragile as this. In his few split seconds of mental freedom before she broke the silence, he had to choose the correct decision.

He gritted his teeth. _Now_ it was now or never. Wasn't it? He didn't know anymore.

"Sonja," he said, feeling as though he were watching from a distance as he worked out his sentences. "I...have a suggestion for you," he told her.

"A suggestion? For what? You mean what I should do?" Sonja replied.

"Yeah." he said, glancing back at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you want to hear it?"

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

Kaiba cleared his throat and reached out to take hold of her hand, bringing it up and placing the box in it, not looking at her as he did. Sonja frowned as she studied it, realization dawning on her face as she understood what it was and what he was telling her.

"Seto, this is...." she murmured. Instantly, memories of her conversations with Mai flooded back into her mind.

"How about...," he muttered, his voice barely audible and slightly cracked from the awkwardness of the moment, "How about spending your life with me?" he finally said. He took a step closer and opened the box in her hand, revealing the silver band with a rather unusual arrangement of gems. Two gems had been cut to merge together like a puzzle piece into a yin and yang shape and been fixed to two tiny silver leaf decorations. Sonja recognized one of the gems as amethyst, but the other was nearly transparent with a faint bluish tinge. She wasn't sure what it was.

"Seto it's...." she muttered, trailing off. He removed it from the box, gently reached to take her hand, "Amethyst and moonstone," he explained as he gingerly slid the ring into place on her finger, "I had it custom made to symbolize what I wanted for you. The amethyst represents protection. As long as I'm alive, I won't allow you to be harmed. The moonstone stands for love and reassurance. Whether I wanted it or not, Sonja, I'm different because of you. I honestly can't imagine my life without you there beside me."

Sonja was by this point, shocked beyond description. She was sure he couldn't amaze her any more than he already had. But of course, being typical of who he was, he was about to prove her wrong. While still holding her hand tightly, he actually got down on one knee, looking up at her seriously. "Sonja, will you marry me?"

She could have sworn her heart stopped. Of course, that was impossible. It was really the breath hitching in her throat that made it seem that way. It took her a few seconds to return to the present moment as she realized he was waiting. She shrieked suddenly and threw her arms around his neck, knocking them both backward onto the grass.

A few dozen meters away, Damon stood on a small rise, watching with a nagging feeling in his heart. The last time he'd seen Sonja, she'd barely reached his waist. Now, here she was, all grown up and from the looks of things, set to get married soon. He fought back the bitter tears stinging his eyes as he turned away, wishing that Isabelle were still with him to see this. He sighed.

"Izzy, what am I supposed to do?" he whispered.

//ooo//

That night, Damon returned with them to the hotel, as he'd been living in a church funded mission for the past year. Sonja let Damon have her room and he consented after much persuasion and reassurance that he shouldn't worry for, well, whatever he was worried about.

Now, sitting wrapped in her blanket by the door, Sonja sighed. Kaiba, typing an email to Mokuba, glanced up curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that dad's starting to get a little loopy. I guess nineteen years alone have taken their toll on him," she mumbled. She got up and moved to sit next to him while he worked, leaning her head on his shoulder. "He reacted pretty well to the situation, which is good" she said, bringing her hand up to examine the ring. "It's so weird, though."

"What is?"

"This whole thing. I nearly start laughing every time I think of how it all started. It's like I told you; if anyone had told me when we met that in five, no I guess now it's six, years that I'd have come to love you, I'd probably have told them they were nuts. I mean seriously, we hated each other. What brought us together?"

She had no way of knowing how long he'd pondered over that very question himself.

"I honestly have no idea, Sonja."

She smiled and stared off into space. "Hey," she said, "Just for the sake of argument, would you think it was odd if I told you that you were the first person I ever loved?"

Kaiba glanced down at her strangely before realizing that the same thing applied to him and wisely choosing to keep his mouth shut.

"Not really," he said.

"I guess I'm saying weird things, huh? I'm tired," Sonja said, yawning slightly.

"Go to sleep, then."

"I can't. I'm tired, but I don't think I'll sleep. Just keep typing or something. I'll just sit here until I think I can sleep," Sonja told him.

Kaiba resumed his email letter, casting occasional glances at Sonja. It was all so surreal now. She was no longer just...how should he put it? A friend? A 'significant other'? No, now she was his...fiancée. The word sounded strange, extremely foreign to him. He'd done what he never believed he'd ever have the time, nor the courage to do in his lifetime. But then, he'd made that belief back when he was a teenager before they'd met. He supposed that with adulthood came a more rational way of thinking. He'd started to prioritize things better. He'd begun to realize that sometimes, more important things required his immediate attention. And one of them was finally beginning to doze off beside him. He looked down at Sonja, peacefully entering sleep as she leaned against him. He shifted his arm to wrap around her shoulders as he leaned his head against hers. She smelled like lavender, very comforting.

"Hey," Sonja said suddenly, "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Whatever possessed you to track down my dad?"

Kaiba pondered this, trying to remember his original reasoning. It had been months ago. He couldn't fully remember what he'd been thinking at the time.

"I suppose it's because unlike me, you had the possibility of finding at least one of your parents. I guess I just wanted you to have that."

"What do you mean 'unlike you'?" Sonja asked.

"My parents have been gone for years," Kaiba explained, "My mother died the day Mokuba was born and our father was killed in a car accident when I was ten. As for our remaining family members, they used up our inheritance and dropped us off at the orphanage. I don't know what's become of them recently,"

"That's pretty sad," Sonja mumbled, "Except for dad, every other family member I'd known has died. If there's anyone else, I certainly don't know of them and the same is true for them about Sophie and myself. But it's not so bad," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I have you, right? And thanks to you, I have dad again. Life has a funny way of evening out the good and the bad, huh?"

Kaiba smirked and chuckled slightly, "You can say that again," he said.

//ooo//

That night, Kaiba was unable to sleep. Continuing to think about everything kept him awake endlessly. This time, his thoughts centered around Sonja lying asleep a few feet away, snuggled deep under the blanket and finally at peace. No nightmares, no recurring dreams, nothing. It was just how it was supposed to be. Kaiba had been telling Damon the absolute truth when he said he'd been emotionally supporting her for years. What he'd failed to mention was Sonja supporting him all this time, as well. He doubted his life would be the same without her. When he stopped to think about it, he realized that several people had gotten involved with this whether they liked it or not.

Zigfried and Leon.

Ursula.

Sophie and Arika.

Katia.

He wasn't sure what to make of it. Still, he knew there was still a ways to go. He glanced down at his left arm, still somewhat sore. She'd bitten him pretty hard and he knew that she'd react badly if she saw the mark. He was pretty sure she'd drawn blood.

Now that he thought of it, he realized he'd forgotten to check the thing and see if it was healing. He got to his feet and went into the bathroom where he'd stashed the first-aid kit. He took it out from the shelf and opened it up. Rolling up his sleeve, he undid the bandage and held the mark up to the light. It was still pretty red and still hurt. Sonja really didn't know her own strength. He reached for the kit and opened it up, turning on the faucet to run his arm under cold water.

As he turned off the faucet, he caught a glimpse of something in the mirror and glanced off to the left, frowning. His breath caught in his throat at Sonja standing there, watching him. Was she having another night terror? No, this was different. She was awake this time, but something was strange. She wasn't looking at him. She was looking at his arm.

"Sonja, what-" he started to say. Sonja cut him off.

"Is that what I think it is?" she said quietly, almost morosely. She came closer, her expression growing more pained as she recognized the mark. "Those are teeth marks, Seto," she pointed out.

Kaiba winced internally. Dang, how was he going to talk himself out of this one?

"Sonja, listen," he said, "It doesn't matter, all right? It's nothing,"

"No, it's not nothing! Don't you dare give me that!" Sonja snapped. "When did I do it? Tell me! When did I bite you!?"

"Sonja-"

"Tell me!" she insisted, her voice breaking. "My god, when will this end? Seto, please tell me!" she begged, grabbing his wrist, staring at him pleadingly.

"It was...the other night, before we went to the townhouse," he said quietly. Sonja looked crestfallen as she remembered asking him what he'd done to his arm that morning. She moved her gaze down to the mark and shook her head, a strangled sob escaping her throat.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, "I hurt you! I'm sorry!"

"Sonja, you weren't aware of it. It isn't your fault," he said.

"Like that's going to make me feel better," Sonja griped. Kaiba sighed and shook his head, rolling his sleeve down. He pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair affectionately, soothingly. He hated seeing her like this, knowing there was virtually nothing he could do to help her other than by simply being there. He just felt that that wasn't enough, sometimes.

"We should get some rest," Kaiba said.

"Yeah," Sonja mumbled. Being like this made her skin crawl, but not in the bad way. She couldn't explain it, but even when she felt so hopeless and scared, he always managed to give her a feeling of security. It was like nothing could happen to her so long as he held her like this.

"How come you don't get angry at me anymore?" Sonja asked. He chuckled lightly.

"Because I save that for when I'm in the mood for a good debate," he told her. She pulled away, grinning wryly. "Oh, so is that all I am to you? An argumentative partner?"

"Why not?" he said with a shrug, moving back into the other room. Sonja stared at him in bewildered astonishment. "Did you just use sarcastic humor?"

"Maybe,"

"It's weird. Warn me next time, okay?"

She followed him back out and went and burrowed back beneath the blanket as he sat down beside her. She opened her eyes, peering up at him in the darkness. He suddenly seemed pensive about something.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing," he answered.

"You're lying,"

"How so?"

"Because I know you so well, that's why," Sonja said, smiling. "So tell me, what were you thinking about?"

He just laid down with a sigh and pulled the blanket up, closing his eyes. "Nothing of grave importance," he muttered.

Sonja watched him a few minutes before humming slightly. He opened his eyes, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "What?"

"I noticed that you've begun to mellow out quite a bit over the last few years," she said.

"Mellow out?" he asked in confusion.

"You were always so uptight and edgy. You're calmer, now. Less anxious. You know, more normal?" she teased. He grumbled to himself, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, glaring into her eyes irritably. "It's seriously time for you to shut up for a little while," he growled. Sonja giggled. "Aw, you're no fun," she said with a laugh.

"Go to sleep, Sonja," he said.

"Oh fine. Killjoy." Sonja said, closing her eyes and snuggling against him. "You're nice and warm," she said.

"That's because you're like ice," he muttered.

"Maybe I'm the reincarnation of some snow fairy,"

"Yeah, whatever, Sonja. Go to sleep, already."

"Okay. Good night, Seto,"

"Hm," was his only reply. Sonja smiled and sighed, allowing her drowsiness to fade quickly into a restful sleep.

A/N: This story's close to ending. That's why I haven't updated as frequently. I'm reluctant to see it end, that's why! Even though I've still got the third book in the series to do, one that wasn't originally planned, but thanks to Cauryn, will soon live anyway. ^_^


	19. Arika's Prediction

A/N: Holy cow! Twenty-seven pages and nearly 10000 words! I really went overboard with this one. But I hope the results were worth the wait for you guys. It turns out that if I'm working on another story, I can't seem to focus on a separate story at the same time. Now that I've got writer's block on A Simple Memory II-Eternal Reminiscence, I can freely work on this story, for which I previously had writer's block, lol. Oh, and welcome back Celebrian Gladiola Elwyn!

Arika's Prediction

It was two days before they were due to return. Sonja had admitted that she felt better than she had in ages. Not only that, but she'd told Kaiba he'd been right this entire time about the good advantages to the trip. Sonja felt calmer now that she'd faced her past head on, just like he said.

Damon on the other hand, was a bit of a different matter. Sonja was dead convinced that he'd spent far too many years alone. He'd go from doting father to Sonja to raging weirdo at Kaiba in two minutes flat. Sonja timed him.

Sonja was busy sorting her clothes into her suitcase ahead of time two days after they'd found him again. Damon came in carrying a can of iced tea and grinning. Kaiba was over at the table working on something and glanced up.

"Sonja, I brought you something. You like tea, don't you?"

"Uh, well yeah, I do. But why did you bring me tea?" she asked as he tossed her the can. She caught it and watched him as he made his way past her, pausing only to ruffle her hair fondly as he sat down at the table across from Kaiba. Instantly, his cheerful grin turned into a demonic scowl aimed at Kaiba, who could only back away cautiously.

"Hey," Damon growled.

"Uh...what?" Kaiba asked.

"So, you said you've known Sonni for five years, huh? Yet you've only really been dating for almost five months. A little soon to be popping the question, don't you think?" he snarled, grinding his teeth together. Sonja shot him an acid glare.

"Dad, if you throw something at him again, I'm throwing you out!" she exclaimed. Damon's face crinkled and he clenched the hem of his shirt.

"But Sonni, I'm only trying to look out for you! I'm your daddy! It's what we do!" he whined.

"I'm twenty-three years old, dad. I can look after myself." Sonja pointed out. "Please stop harassing him,"

"I'm no-o-ot!" Damon proclaimed. He glowered at Kaiba, who sighed.

"I'm still not sure what I did to upset you, Damon," he muttered.

"That's Mr. Gavens to you, buddy!" Damon bellowed, leaping to his feet and jabbing his finger toward Kaiba.

"Dad, sit down," Sonja said irritably. Instead, Damon reached into his pocket, whipped something out and shoved it in Sonja's face.

"Hey! Check this out! I found it in the lobby!"

"It's too close for me to read," Sonja said. Damon didn't pull the paper away, but continued to yammer on and on about it.

"It's so cool! I'll have to buy you something totally cute and adorable to wear!" he exclaimed.

"It's too close for me to read," Sonja said again.

"Maybe a nice long-sleeved kimono with a Koi pattern on it! I know! A pretty Koi pattern with a moon backdrop! That would be too cute!"

"It's too close for me to read," Sonja said one more time. This time, Damon groaned and handed her the paper. She got up, moving to go and sit down beside Kaiba while she scanned the paper. She frowned.

"A winter festival?" she said. She handed the flier to Kaiba, who read over it quickly. Damon nodded once, his hands jammed in his pockets.

"Yeah! You see, this year's winter festival was delayed due to heavy weather about two weeks before you guys got here. So they've apparently rescheduled it and it's for tomorrow night, the night before we have to leave! How convenient is that!"

"A little too convenient," Sonja mumbled to Kaiba who nodded in agreement. Damon didn't seem to notice as he whirled to Sonja's suitcase. He got down and began to tear through the contents while Sonja leaped to her feet in alarm.

"Dad! What the heck are you doing?" she exclaimed, hurrying over to try to stop him before he got too far.

"Looking for something cute for you to wear!" Damon replied, effectively ruining her neat packing job as various articles went flying. Kaiba rolled his eyes and concentrated on his computer screen. Sonja reminded herself to thank him for it later, especially when Damon reached the bottom of the suitcase where she'd stored certain _personal_ articles. Fortunately, Damon seemed to find what he was looking for before he got that far.

"Aha!" Damon exclaimed, whipping something out, "I thought I saw this! I can't believe you found this after so long, Sonja!" Damon proclaimed, embracing his daughter and bursting into tears. Sonja threw a desperate glance to Kaiba who stood up and made his way over. He reached out to take whatever Damon was holding. Damon yelled and lashed out to grab it again, but Kaiba sidestepped him and handed the article to Sonja. She frowned when she got a better look at it.

"This is that kimono Arika brought in the suitcase," she said, "How'd it get into my case when— oh, right." she growled, realizing.

"It's settled!" Damon yelled, "You'll wear that, tomorrow night for the winter festival!"

"No," Sonja said.

"Why not? We can all go! I'll even let the kid here come with us," Damon said, draping an arm over her shoulders and grinning.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Kaiba growled.

"Because our flight is early the following morning. It probably isn't a good idea, dad," Sonja said. Damon looked downcast, but sighed. "I guess you have a point, Sonja," he muttered, "I just hoped we could all do this together before we left,"

"I'm sorry dad, it's just not the best idea," Sonja said, returning to her packing.

"Maybe, maybe not," Kaiba said all of a sudden. Sonja paused, glancing at him curiously. "What's that mean, Seto?"

"There's no way of knowing the merit of an idea if you don't try it first," Kaiba said without looking up. "Who knows? It might end up as a good idea in the end,"

Sonja's eyes widened and she turned to Damon who looked thunderstruck. Sonja turned around fully, "Seto, are you saying that it might be interesting to go?"

"I didn't say that. I just said that the idea has some merit," he said, still not looking at her. Damon was busy fuming about how Kaiba wasn't making a lick of sense. But Sonja smiled. She understood his jargon. He said that no matter if it was a good idea or not, they really had nothing to lose by going. In other words, he found the concept interesting.

"Okay," Sonja said, "I suppose you have a point,"

"What do you mean he has a point! He didn't make any sense!" Damon roared, tugging at his hair in frustration.

"We'll go to the festival for a little while," Sonja announced. Damon immediately stopped ranting and his eyes went wide. He lunged forward and pulled Sonja into his right arm while he grabbed Kaiba in his left, leaping to his feet with the both of them as he proclaimed how happy he was in barely intelligible sentences. Kaiba threw a bewildered glance at Sonja who smiled sheepishly.

"Welcome to our family, Seto," she said through her laughter.

/ooo/

Damon spent the whole of the following day at the nearby shrine, making offerings of five and ten-yen coins (all the money he had with him) for good weather that evening for the festival. It gave Sonja a chance to complete her packing with minimal issues. Kaiba watched her as she finished, now laying out the pieces of her kimono delicately on the floor.

"Is that what you'll wear to the festival?" he asked.

"Yup, this is it," she answered. "Arika brought it back for me after she went through the townhouse. She must have snuck it into my suitcase when I wasn't looking."

"Why?"

"Oh, she's got a pretty perverse way of thinking. I honestly don't know what her problem is," Sonja said.

She started giggling suddenly and Kaiba frowned. "What?"

"I was just remembering how dad was last night. He really does like you, he's just too proud to admit that his little girl's going with someone else," she said, smiling. Kaiba turned back to his computer. Something about that smile sent his heart racing.

"Well, I sure wasn't getting that vibe from him," Kaiba said.

"Oh, come on. Dad's a little loopy. We already knew that. But I can see he does like you. He's just testing you. After all, he's got to take your measure, right?"

Kaiba glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe so," he said.

Sonja finished packing by the time Damon returned, having run out of money. He sighed and sat down across from Kaiba, leaning his head on the table wearily.

"I sure hope the gods got my message," he mumbled.

"Dad, the sky is perfectly clear and it's already past noon. If we were going to have rough weather, there'd probably be some sign of it already," Sonja pointed out, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the window. Damon just shrugged. Then he fixed a venomous glare on Kaiba.

"So, everything went okay while I was gone? Nothing out of the usual?" he mumbled darkly. Kaiba blinked and turned his computer around, "Stock prices have gone up," he said blandly. Damon studied the figures, clearly not understanding them at all but refusing to show his complete ignorance. Then he sat back, folding his arms.

"So, stock prices have gone up," he repeated. Kaiba nodded once, putting on a stony expression to throw him off. "Yes,"

"And that's a good thing, right?"

"Yes. It means the net worth of my company has also gone up by two per cent," Kaiba told him.

"Oh? And what was it before?" Damon asked, leering at him through the corner of his eyes.

"3,879, 000," Kaiba answered.

"Aha! Then that means it's only 3, 879, 00_2_! You call _that_ a big achievement? Don't make me laugh, tough guy!" Damon exclaimed, leaping to his feet and grinning maniacally. Kaiba glanced at Sonja who shrugged, still smiling. She and Kaiba both knew that Damon had absolutely no idea what kind of point he was even arguing.

Damon sat back down with a triumphant nod of his head. Kaiba vaguely wondered what Damon thought he'd won.

"It's just as I thought." Damon proclaimed proudly.

"What was just as you thought?" Kaiba asked. Damon opened his eyes and his grin faded. He scratched his chin and looked aimlessly around the room.

"You know, I can't remember," he said. Then he frowned darkly again, "But I just realized that you threw me off track, there, kid," he growled. Kaiba cursed mentally.

"Is that so?" he muttered.

"Yeah. I spent three hours at that blasted shrine making offerings all afternoon. What exactly did you guys do the entire time I was gone, hm?"

"I wrote a few faxes I need to send, edited some documents and emailed a few correspondence notes to one of my affiliates," Kaiba answered on the dot.

"And I packed all of my things together neatly in my suitcase after you tore them apart yesterday and spent the last twenty minutes arranging my kimono for tonight," Sonja answered cheerfully. "Anything else you want to falsely accuse us of, daddy?"

Damon's left eye twitched furiously before he stomped to his feet and stalked to the door, grumbling to himself. He threw it open, stepped out, not bothering to change his shoes and slammed the door shut behind him. Kaiba sighed. "Well, that went well," he grumbled sarcastically. Sonja chuckled, getting up and moving to sit beside him, resting her head lightly on his shoulder.

"Well, I'm glad he cares about me," she said, "But he really could learn to trust us a little more,"

"Somehow, I doubt that's going to happen," Kaiba said, glancing down at her. Sonja looked up at him and smiled, shrugging, "Give him time; he'll come around," she said. "In the meantime, we can go to the festival tonight and try to enjoy our last day in Japan,"

He suddenly wrapped his arm about her waist, drawing her in closer and kissing her lightly. Sonja tilted her head slightly, confused and a little surprised, "What was that for?"

"Because I felt like it," he said. Sonja smirked, "Oh, is that all?" she teased. "I was thinking maybe you'd fallen more in love with me and that I was just ignorant,"

"Well, you're certainly confident," Kaiba muttered wryly.

"I'm not confident; I'm just stating the opposite," Sonja said, "Sometimes, there are little things you say and do that put that in reverse,"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow questioningly, "So you're saying I'm ignorant?" he said. Sonja nuzzled her head beneath his chin and chuckled, "Dummy, I'm saying you just don't always pay attention. Sometimes you think so much, you zone out from the rest of the world. I'm just trying to find where you zone out to so I can drag you back if necessary,"

"I don't think there's any need to worry about that…." He muttered, trailing off as he leaned his head down to kiss her again. "With your dad around, I can't afford to space out,"

"He's not that bad, Seto," Sonja said, looking him straight in the eye. "But you know, that kind of reminds me; why is it that we've suddenly gotten more open with each other since you proposed?"

"I honestly have no idea," He answered, chuckling. She leaned toward him and their lips almost met when—

_BAM!_

"THAT'S TOO CLOSE!" Damon bellowed, slamming open the door. They both jumped and Sonja leaped to her feet as Kaiba stood up and backed away warily as Damon inched closer, growling nonsense under his breath.

"Okay dad," Sonja said calmly, stepping between them, holding her hands up defensively, "Settle down," she said. She wasn't going to question how exactly he knew what was going on right then. He was still too riled up.

"Sonja, I changed my mind; you're too young to get married!" Damon said quickly and somewhat childishly. Sonja's shoulders sagged and she ran a hand through her hair. "Okay dad, here's the gist of it; A, you're acting really immature, B, you're seriously _over_reacting to begin with and C, I'm twenty-three years old. I'm a grown young woman and I'm making my own decisions. Besides, if you say we can't, we could always elope," she said, shrugging. Kaiba knew she was only joking around, but Damon didn't seem to take it that way. He let out a weird, hissing moan and crumpled to the floor in a dead faint. Sonja stared at him helplessly and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, "I think I may have overdone it just a bit," she muttered.

"It wasn't like he wasn't asking for it," Kaiba said, sitting back down at his computer. Sonja shrugged again and turned away. She coughed lightly. "Um, well, it was…uh, rather embarrassing," she muttered. She glanced at the clock and then hunted around through her things for the flier.

"It says the thing starts at three-thirty," she said once she found it, "And since I'm not the best at putting kimonos on, I think I'll go and practice."

She gathered up the pieces of her kimono and turned to him, "Dad's gonna wake up mad for sure," she said, "So when he does, just try to avoid getting hit, okay Seto?"

"Sure, easy for you to say," Kaiba growled. "How long will you be?"

"Probably at least an hour. When I tried it on last time, it was too loose. That's bad when it's a kimono, but fortunately, you don't have to understand. It's a little after one-thirty, so I might be ready by the time we go to the festival. See you then," she said, smiling. She went into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind her. Kaiba frowned in confusion at that. Just who was going to try to spy on her? They both knew he wouldn't, but maybe she didn't trust Damon for some reason. Even though he was her father, Kaiba felt she probably had legitimate cause.

After about twenty minutes, Damon came to, moaning as he sat up and crossed his legs, shifting over to the table. He rubbed his head, wincing at the bump he'd gotten when he fell before glowering at Kaiba.

"So," he growled, "Guess you're serious,"

"What of it?"

"Don't get so defensive," Damon drawled, waving his hand carelessly and leaning his head on the other hand, "After all, Izzy's dad caught us a bunch of times too. Can't say it wasn't a shock, but I suppose it's nothing to be stunned about. After all, I knew I couldn't hang onto her forever,"

Kaiba sighed, "I just wish you'd stop trying to kill me whenever we get within two feet of each other," he grumbled.

"Hey, you told me to try to scare you. I thought you didn't scare easy," Damon taunted, grinning.

"I don't. Wariness and fright are too different things," Kaiba said disinterestedly.

"Is that right, kid? So, where's Sonja?"

"She's practicing changing into her kimono," Kaiba said. "Just so you know, she locked the door,"

"Hey, what do you think I am, some kind of pervert!" Damon roared. Kaiba blinked slowly. "Yes," he said simply. Damon made a face and plunked his head down on the table with a moan.

"Some son-in-law you're gonna be," he growled.

/ooo/

The sun was setting early this time of year. When it was almost already time to go to the festival, Kaiba had heard nothing from Sonja in over an hour and a half. He knew better than to worry; after all, she was perfectly capable of handling her own. But still…,

Damon had fallen asleep against the wall, blissfully oblivious to the world. Kaiba picked up a piece of paper, crumpled it into a ball and flicked it at Damon. It bounced off his forehead, jarring him awake with a snort.

"Huzzat? I didn't do it!" he exclaimed. He blinked groggily and squinted over at Kaiba. "Huh? Oh, it's you," he grumbled, straightening up and stretching. His back popped a few times and he sighed heavily. "How long was I asleep?"

"Almost two hours," Kaiba answered, shutting the screen of his computer into sleep mode.

"And where's Sonja?"

"Still in there," Kaiba said, jerking his thumb toward the other room, "I haven't heard a sound from her for a while,"

Kaiba expected Damon to react, but not exactly in the way that he did. Damon leaped to his feet with a roar, eyes wild as he flailed about crazily, "Sonja! Hang on! Don't move!" he bellowed, skimming across the floor in a single, surprisingly fluid motion. He pounded furiously on the door, his arms moving so fast it was almost comical. Kaiba just watched in bewilderment.

The door unlocked and slid open a crack, Sonja appearing just in view on the other side. Kaiba sighed and shook his head. Judging from both her single visible irritated eye and her hair draped over what little of her bare shoulder could be seen from that angle, he was fairly certain she wasn't quite ready to come out.

"Dad," she hissed in a voice that sent chills through the room, "Do you mind?"

Damon went bright red in sharp contrast to his hair and clenched his fists, waling his arm backward toward Kaiba, "It was his idea!" he exclaimed. Sonja moaned and slid the door shut again, "_I'm almost done,_" she called. Damon stalked back over and flopped into a cross-legged position on the floor, refusing to look at Kaiba.

"Why didn't you tell me she was busy dressing?"

"I had assumed you'd be smart enough to understand that she might be somewhat occupied," Kaiba replied tartly.

"Don't get smart with me, kid!" Damon snapped.

"_Stop harassing him and he won't!_" Sonja yelled from the bathroom. Damon burst into a rush of fake sobbing, "Whose side are you on? I'm your daddy, Sonja!" he wailed.

"_Yes, but you're also warped, dad. Please try to calm down before the festival,_"

Damon sighed, his shoulders sagging, "What has she done with the sweet little darling I used to carry around on my shoulder?" he mumbled sadly.

"_I'm sorry dad, but she grew up. Heh, wait until you see Sophie. Okay, I'm just about ready, but I'm still not certain I did this right. Obis are difficult,_"

"Uh," Damon said, "If you want, I can help you. I know how to tie an obi,"

The door slid open partway and Sonja stuck her head out, her eyes wide in disturbed astonishment, "How in the heck do _you_ know how to tie an obi!" she exclaimed, "Never mind, I don't want to know,"

She stepped out of the room and slid the door shut behind her. Damon whistled and started clapping while Kaiba just stared. Sonja truly was beautiful and the first word that came to mind was moonlight. The midnight blue cherry blossom kimono gave a subtle notice to her natural graces and made her hair stand out immensely. He couldn't believe how many of those stupid cliches were true; she literally took his breath away. Maybe they were cliche _because_ they were true.

Damon rushed over and took both of her hands in his own, grinning from ear to ear, "Sonni, you look as lovely as your mother did on our very first date! She wore that same kimono!"

"Thanks, dad. Seto, what do you think?" she asked nonchalantly. Kaiba got to his feet and made his way over, watching her carefully. He smiled slightly and nodded, "I think...that you look quite beautiful, Sonja," he said quietly, to which Sonja glanced away, embarrassed.

Damon crossed his arms and puffed out his chest in obvious pride, "Obviously, this answer is to be expected! After all, she is the daughter of the valiant Damon Gavens and the fair Isabelle Harker/Gavens! One shouldn't expect anything less from a radiant, yet silent beauty like Sonja Lorraine Gavens!"

Kaiba frowned, "Lorraine?" he asked. Sonja sighed, her shoulders sagging, "Yeah, that's my middle name," she grumbled. "Marik is the only other person who knows, so please don't tell anyone," she begged.

"Blackmail!" Damon exclaimed shrilly.

"I thought you detested our relationship," Sonja growled at him, knowing he could have meant several different things with that remark.

"I only protest against it because it's my job," Damon said in self defense. Sonja rolled her eyes, adjusting her sleeves with a sigh.

"Fine, whatever dad. I guess it's time to go, then," she said.

The festival was located a few blocks away in a small forested park on a bluff overlooking the nearby village. Because of the weather, Sonja opted to wear her tennis shoes underneath her kimono, despite Damon's protests.

"But Sonni, you're going against tradition!" he whined.

"Dad, it's forty degrees at the highest out there. There is no way I'm wearing wooden clog sandals in the winter time," Sonja snapped as she finished lacing her shoes up, standing up with a sigh and folding her hands inside her sleeves. She glanced over at Kaiba, leaning against the wall and gazing out the window, his faraway eyes lost in thought. She smiled and made her way over, lightly taking his arm. He turned to look down at her curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You are my escort tonight, right?" Sonja said. Across the room, Damon let out a weird cross between a whine and a sigh, "Sonja, I wanna escort you! I wanna win you a stuffed toy!"

"That's sweet of you dad, but how would I get it home?" Sonja asked brightly. Damon froze up, picking at his thumbnails and not answering. Sonja smiled and shook her head, "Dad, you should really calm down. We have to leave tomorrow," she said.

"Yeah, you're right. That reminds me, I still need to book my ticket,"

Sonja's jaw dropped. "You mean you still haven't done it?" she exclaimed. Damon chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. "Well, I'm kind of a procrastinator," he babbled.

"Kind of?" Sonja grumbled at him.

/ooo/

The short walk to the festival grounds was mostly quiet, save for Damon yakking on his phone to a sales representative at the airport, trying to book a ticket for the same flight Kaiba and Sonja were booked for. Kaiba told Sonja rather discreetly that if things got bad enough, he'd take a shot at it and see what he could do. Sonja greatly appreciated this, because she knew that Kaiba would only do it for her.

On the way there, she held onto his arm, though it was rather embarrassing. All of a sudden, she felt self-conscious about the whole situation. She could feel how tense he was and understood that he felt the same way, but was having an easier time concealing it.

Sonja watched her breath turn into steam as she breathed. It was pretty chilly out and she was glad she'd worn her tennis shoes. In all actuality, the kimono was really rather warm. Perhaps she should consider thanking Arika for sneaking it in.

Upon reaching an intersection, they paused. Sonja looked down each road, frowning. "I can't remember which way we're supposed to go," she mumbled. "Dad?" she said, glancing backward at Damon. Damon grinned childishly, "Yes?"

"Which way is it?" Sonja asked him.

"Uh, hang on," Damon said, fumbling through his coat pockets for the crumpled flier he'd brought back. He pulled it out and did his best to smooth the crinkles out of it, scanning it over in the dim streetlight, "Uh, it's uh...this way!" he declared, jerking his arm to the left.

"You're sure," Sonja stated skeptically.

"Positive. You may not believe it, Sonja Lorraine Gavens, but I happen to have a superb sense of direction," he said proudly, crossing his arms and grinning in satisfaction.

"Please stop using my middle name. It's embarrassing," Sonja muttered.

"But Lorraine is such a pretty name," Damon gushed, "As a matter of fact, it was your maternal great-grandmother's name. My mother, your grandmother, always wanted a baby girl named Sonja, but ended up with four boys instead, so she passed the wish unto me, who then passed it unto you,"

"I see," Sonja said, "So there's a bit of a legacy behind my name, isn't there?"

"You got it! But I kind of wanted to name you Lorraine at first and Isabelle liked matching names. She wanted your name to match Samuel's name. With this in mind, it was going to be Samantha,"

Sonja frowned and shook her head, "Nothing against that name, dad, but I like my own name just fine," she said.

"If I recall this right, Sonja is Romanian for Sophia and Sophia is Italian for Sonja," Damon said, scratching his chin, "So considering this, technically, we named you two the exact same thing!"

"And that's a good thing?" Sonja mumbled in astonishment. She and Kaiba exchanged glances and she sighed. "You're weird, dad," she said finally.

At last, they reached a dead end in the road, surrounded on all sides by bare trees. To their immediate left was a long staircase where soft orange light radiated down toward them. They could hear many voices emanating from above.

"This must be it," Sonja said.

"Yup," Damon agreed, "That's a small park up there. It used to be a shrine, but it blew over in a hard wind a few years ago, so they were forced to take it down. Now, it's a public gathering place."

They made their way to the top of the stairs, Damon hurrying ahead of them in his excitement. At the top, they were met with the sight of about a dozen small stalls surrounded by a tiny crowd of people, all dressed for the festival in some way. Sonja smiled and hummed lightly, "I've never been to a festival of any kind like this," she said.

The only problem was that both of them felt severely out of place. Kaiba was more used to mingling with foreign people than Sonja was, but this wasn't a trade show or a press conference like he'd attended in the past. This was...well, different.

It was Sonja who finally broke the ice. She moved away from him toward a stall close by that had a lot drawing attraction. She bowed politely to the shop owner and asked how much it cost to play.

"One-hundred yen," the man told her with a smile.

Ordinarily, Kaiba would have warned her to be careful, as you never knew what kinds of tricks people would play. But he knew that Sonja wasn't easy to fool.

Sonja paid the price required and knelt down on the ground. He handed her a large wooden bowl filled with little strips of paper.

"Now," he said in somewhat broken English, "Pick a piece of paper. The number you draw, the prize you get," he said, sweeping his arm behind him at a small array of various objects ranging from stuffed animals to pottery. Sonja studied the papers carefully. She knew there was probably a trick to this. She heard Kaiba come up behind her, but didn't turn around. Instead, she focused on the paper. Reaching her hand in, she grabbed the bottom-most piece she could find and pulled it out. She unfolded it and showed the number to the man.

"Ah! Good pick!" the man exclaimed, jumping to his feet and pulling down a small stuffed bear with angel wings sewn into the back. He handed it to Sonja.

"Thanks," Sonja said, bowing lightly.

"_Arigatou_, come again," the man said as Sonja and Kaiba moved away from the stall. Sonja smiled and folded her arms over the bear.

"She's so cute!" she said, tugging delicately on the tiny little white wings.

"I was a little skeptical about the integrity of these shops," Kaiba mumbled.

"Things are different here than in the States, Seto. People here have a sense of honor."

Kaiba hummed, but said nothing more on the matter.

Ahead of them, Damon was trying his luck at a dart gun game and having mixed success to put it gently. Sonja and Kaiba paused a few feet away to watch him as he took careful aim with the gun, pulled the trigger and missed his target, a medium sized stuffed Garfield cat, by a mile. Finally, he sighed and lowered the rifle onto the counter, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Drat," he growled, "I seem to have lost the knack,"

"Dad, how long have you been at this?" Sonja asked, effectively startling Damon into a frenzy. Damon calmed down after a few seconds, took in the stuffed bear Sonja held and glared daggers at Kaiba.

"You creep," Damon snarled.

"Dad, I won this by myself," Sonja grumbled, rolling her eyes, "And I asked you how long you've been at this,"

"Since we got here," Damon growled, not taking his eyes off of Kaiba. "I wanted to win you something, but I see you saved me the trouble," he grumbled, folding his arms and pouting childishly.

"Dad, even if you'd won that cat for me, it's too big to fit into the suitcase. This bear is very small," Sonja pointed out. She knew that Damon understood her point, but she didn't expect him to agree with her. Instead, he slapped down two-hundred more yen and demanded a refill on darts.

"Fine," he snapped to Sonja, "Then I'll win you something else! Pick something out, my dear daughter! I dare you!" he declared boisterously, grinning fiendishly. Sonja grinned right back just as fiendishly and pretended to study the prizes with great care, much to the confused astonishment of both Kaiba and the vendor.

Finally, Sonja lashed her arm out, pointing dramatically to a hair clip decorated with fake cherry blossoms and white Baby's Breath; "That one! Your challenge is accepted, oh father of mine!" Sonja exclaimed, barely concealing the giggles.

Damon brandished the rifle high in the air, "Then let it be known that on this night, I, Damon Gavens, have secured the lovely bejeweled hair clip for the fairest moon goddess this side of Mt. Fuji!"

He braced the rifle against his shoulder and the counter and Sonja moved back to stand beside Kaiba. He cast a strange glance at her and sighed, "All right, that was probably the most random spectacle I've ever witnessed," he muttered.

"Oh be quiet, Seto. Dad deserves a little leeway." Sonja said with a smile, "And besides, to him, I'll always be a little girl,"

She turned to watch as Damon prepared to fire, his spirits hyped up by Sonja's role playing. They both watched as Damon again took aim, his finger twitching against the trigger. He fired once, the dart whizzing past just inches to the right.

"A little to the left, dad!" Sonja called. He fired again, this one passing just overhead of the clip. "Down just a bit!" Sonja added again. Damon fired one more time, this time, striking the clip dead-on and knocking it off its little pedestal. Damon blinked in surprise as the vendor took the rifle from him and handed him the clip, "Here you are, sir, congratulations," he said, in slightly better English than the other vendors. Damon took the clip, gazing down at it in shock. He shook his head, a triumphant grin spreading across his face as he whirled to Sonja, holding the clip like a trophy. "I did it!" he yelled.

"Go, dad!" Sonja said, clapping her hands. Damon marched over, his grin splitting from ear to ear. "I won this clip for you, Sonni," he said, "Do you want to wear it?"

Sonja nodded and Damon unlocked the clip's teeth. Then, he paused, frowning. Sonja glanced at him in confusion, "Dad, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Damon said quietly, moving behind her to gather up a small bundle of her hair, fastening the clip into it. He slid the teeth between the strands so as not to scratch her by mistake, clamped the teeth back together and stepped back slightly. Sonja turned back around, reaching behind her to finger the clip, "It's pretty, dad," she said, "Thanks,"

She frowned concernedly at Damon's stoic face, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Damon started suddenly, but shrugged and smiled wryly, "Nothing's wrong, Sonni, you're just all grown up, that's all," he mumbled. For once, he was being completely serious. Sonja and Kaiba exchanged nervous glances, but before she could say anything, Damon perked right back up again, "I don't know about you, but I'm flipping starving! How about something to eat?"

With that, he strode off down the walkway, humming a merry tune to himself. The two of them followed off at a short distance, Sonja lost in thought. She began to walk more slowly until finally, she stopped altogether. Kaiba noticed and glanced back curiously.

"Sonja?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Seto, I wasn't thinking," she said quickly.

"I'd say it was more the opposite," Kaiba said dryly, "What were you thinking about?"

Sonja looked away, "Dad looked kind of depressed for a few seconds there. Seto, I think I'm being too hard on him for being too hard on you. It's only natural he'd want to protect me. He spent nineteen years believing I was dead. I just feel really bad about it,"

Kaiba sighed and frowned, glancing around to see if he could spot Damon anywhere.

"Come on," he said at last, "Lets' go,"

Sonja nodded, "Okay,"

However, even though there were so few people attending this winter festival, Damon had vanished. They made their way down the entire line, but he was nowhere to be found. Sonja scanned the crowds, searching for the familiar mop of white hair, but she saw nothing. Finally, they reached the end where, about twenty meters away, slightly hidden by an outgrowth of trees, was the bluff Damon mentioned, the one overlooking the village. Sonja made her way over to the rail standing between her and the thirty-foot or so drop to the bottom.

"I wonder where he could have gone," Sonja mumbled. "Lets' wait here for now. He'll find us eventually,"

"Fine," he agreed. Sonja moved to sit down on a nearby bench overlooking the horizon. She folded her hands into her sleeves, gazing out over the land shrouded in peaceful darkness.

"It's really nice here," she said. "It's kind of a shame we have to leave tomorrow,"

"I expected this trip to take much longer," Kaiba said without thinking.

"Gee, thanks," Sonja growled. "It's comforting to know how much faith you have in me,"

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it," Kaiba snapped, "I mean that I believed you'd have a more difficult time. I was surprised,"

"Well, get used to it. I'll continue to surprise you until the day I die," Sonja said with a smile. Kaiba hummed and folded his arms.

Several minutes passed in an easy silence, broken only by the faint voices of the multitudes come for the festival and the faint hum of a car engine off in the distance.

A gentle gust of icy wind blew past and Sonja shivered, " Wow, it's cold," she said. "I hope dad finds us soon,"

"Wait right here," Kaiba told her suddenly, "I'll be right back,"

"Huh? But, where are you going?" Sonja asked, turning back to watch him as he disappeared around the trees. She sighed and turned around again, staring up into the night sky at the quarter moon hovering above her, casting a faint bluish glow down on the earth.

"Tomorrow we leave," she mumbled to herself. She brought her hand up, allowing the moonlight to glitter across the stones, "I wonder how I'll tell Sophie. I mean, she probably knew this was coming, I know I didn't. But how will she react? Wait, we haven't even started planning any of the details, yet. I don't think we've even arranged a date," Sonja said, frowning. "I'm nervous, so I'm talking to myself. Just great,"

She stopped talking, but she was right. She was nervous. This was a big step. Were they ready for this? Well, obviously he'd come to some terms with it, but she hadn't expected it. But wasn't it like that all the time? She had to admit, it was both exciting and scary at the same time. At least now she had Damon back with her. And although he was a little too fond of harassing Kaiba, she knew he meant well. Maybe she had been too hard on him for that. After all, nineteen years was a long time, and—

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kaiba suddenly reappeared, handing her something. It was a paper cup with hot tea, the steam curling up into the air giving off a pleasant aroma. Sonja was quite surprised to say the least, but she smiled gratefully, "Oh, so that's where you went," she said, taking the cup, "Thank you,"

He sat down beside her. He'd gotten something himself, though Sonja wasn't sure if it was tea or not. "It's fine," he said nonchalantly, "I know how much you like your tea,"

"You got that right," Sonja laughed, taking a sip and sighing. "Mm, it's ginger. It's one of my favorites!"

She cupped her hands around the tea and sighed, "It's warm. Hey, Seto, what did you get?"

Kaiba bristled a little bit, not answering her, but glancing down at his cup. Sonja frowned, leaning in closer to see what it was, "Come on, tell me. What is it?" she asked as she caught a whiff of the aroma. Her eyes widened, "Hot chocolate?"

Kaiba growled to himself and swirled it around absently, staring into space. "I don't particularly like tea...so...," he muttered, trailing off. Sonja smiled and snuggled against him, "I don't understand why you're embarrassed," she said, "It's fine,"

"You think so, huh?" he muttered, his face as expressionless as ever.

"Since when are you self-conscious about anything?" Sonja demanded to know.

"Oh, shut up," he growled, taking a drink and sighing. Sonja giggled and sipped her tea, gazing up at the sky. "You know what just occurred to me?"

"What?"

"Arika predicted a festival and snuck my kimono into my suitcase on the off chance I'd actually go. Who would have thought her prediction would turn out to be true?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sonja," Kaiba said, though she was able to catch the fond amusement in his voice, no matter how well he concealed it. She knew that most people considered him heartless and uncaring. But she knew him well and was able to pick up the subtle tones in his voice that completely disproved those rumors.

She snuggled up close to him and sighed, closing her eyes, "I kind of wish we could stay here for a while longer," she said, "This is very peaceful,"

"It is," he agreed, "Sonja...I, uh...wanted to apologize," he said quietly.

"For what?"

"For dragging you out here. I understand that facing up to your old secrets isn't easy. I should know that better than anyone by this point,"

"But Seto, it's helped me so much. It's like I told you, if it weren't for you, I very likely wouldn't be alive today to tell you this. After seeing my old home and my old neighborhood, I feel that I'm about ready to take on whatever the future holds for me. Hopefully, you're still somewhere in it," she said, smiling.

"I plan to be," he said wryly, "Provided your father hasn't done me in by then,"

"You don't give him enough credit," Sonja said, "Dad's not that bad. I can tell he really does like you. You know, that reminds me, we still haven't made any plans at all,"

She glanced at the ring she wore in emphasis. He frowned and hummed, "First things first, when?" he asked.

"I don't know. Spring and summer weddings are incredibly cliché," Sonja told him, "And winters in Domino are too cold, leaving our best choice at autumn. But I feel like we'll be tempting fate if we wait that long,"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sonja," Kaiba growled, "Besides, if you hadn't noticed, everything about us is cliché," he said irritably, setting down his cup and folding his arms.

"At least one of us finally admitted it," Sonja muttered, "There's also the matter of invitations, you know. I'd like to invite Zigfried and Leon," she said.

"No," he said with absolutely no hesitation.

"Why not? Seto, they had a huge role in this. Besides, Zigfried is a very nice person when he sets his mind to it. Aside from that, there aren't very many people we can invite. Most of your acquaintances are enemies, Seto. I don't have family that I know of and you've lost track of your own relatives."

"Actually, that's where you're wrong," he said dryly.

"But you said—"

"I don't wish to think of them," he practically snarled, "I know where they are, but what I meant is that I don't care to know them anymore,"

"...Oh," Sonja mumbled. She fell silent for a few moments, casting occasional glances at him. For some reason, her heart began to race and she sighed heavily, "Hey," she said.

"What?"

"Well...uh, never mind," Sonja said. He looked over at her curiously. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, her paper cup sitting beside her dangerously close to the edge. From the moonlight drifting down, her hair took on an ethereal glow, illuminating her pale skin. If her eyes had been any other color except brown, she could easily have been mistaken for some kind of spirit.

She brightened suddenly, a small smile gracing her face, "I think I'll take up self-defense classes," she said out of the blue. Kaiba frowned.

"That was rather random," he said dryly. She giggled, "Yeah, I suppose it was."

A few minutes of peaceful silence followed. Sonja hummed, "Actually, I was serious," she said quietly.

"Why?" he asked, "Are you afraid I'll turn on you?" he said, only half-jokingly. He knew Sonja too well to simply joke around with a serious matter like betrayal. She didn't take such matters lightly.

"No, I trust you completely, Seto. It's part of the reason I agreed to marry you. It's just...well, I was thinking, and..."

Her tone grew eerily pensive and she seemed to shrink in on herself. Kaiba scowled, feeling that familiar hatred rising up inside him again. She was thinking about Allan. This trip had done wonders for her psyche, but she'd never completely forget what happened and he wasn't naïve enough to believe that he could change that.

"What is it?" he asked. Sonja appeared uncomfortable and she shifted her feet inside her tennis shoes.

"I was thinking...we both had miserable childhoods. I want to take self-defense classes because if...if I ever have children of my own, I want to be sure that I can protect them," she said in a shaky voice, "I couldn't live with myself if I allowed anything bad to happen to anyone I cared about,"

He embraced her, sighing, "Listen, Sonja, no one is going to hurt you or anyone else around you again," he said, "I promise, and I keep my promises,"

"I know you do. I also know that you're right and that I'm just being paranoid," she said, laughing weakly. But she wasn't. She'd experienced first hand some of the cruelest of the human race. She wasn't being paranoid, she was just acting out how she'd spent half her life.

"I'm kind of a wet blanket, aren't I?" Sonja asked wryly.

"It isn't like you don't have good reason," he said. She punched him lightly on the shoulder, "Jerk," she snapped.

He chuckled dryly. Sonja shook her head, "You're so irritating sometimes,"

"You're one to talk,"

She didn't answer. She just stared up at the sky, thoughtfully. He rested his head against hers, allowing his mind to wander on into the possible future they probably shared. After all, it was something to think about.

/ooo/

They finally located Damon arguing with a vendor over a plate of fried noodles that Damon wasn't sure were actually fried. He was pretty positive they'd been boiled. Kaiba dragged Damon away as he flailed about wildly while Sonja apologized to the flustered shopkeeper. Needless to say, the festival was over for them.

Back at the hotel, things returned to normal fairly quickly. Damon seemed to remember that Sonja was going to be married soon and this time, went into overly-excited father mode, demanding to see the ring every two seconds. Eventually, Sonja just took it off and let him borrow it, on threat of complete and total silent treatment if he lost it. Damon freaked out and then fastened the ring to his finger with a length of thread.

Sonja sat atop her suitcase, gazing out at the moon through the window. Kaiba finished shutting his computer down and glanced over at her, "Sonja? Are you all right?"

"Fine," she said simply, "Just tired and, to be honest, a little nervous,"

"Nervous?"

"Well, yeah. But I suppose it's just pre-wedding butterflies. When we get back, we need to start planning, you know,"

Kaiba sighed, turning away, "Sonja, I hate to admit it, but we may want help for this," he said.

Sonja scooted over and rested her head on his shoulder, "I know. Your work is going to have to be first priority,"

"Don't make it sound like I don't care about our wedding, Sonja," Kaiba said firmly, "There are two good reasons why you're right; one, I promised your father that I was financially stable enough to provide for you and two, if my business continues to succeed, I'll be able to continue to support you,"

Sonja smiled, "I'll still have the shop," she said, "Though I've been thinking of changing the name. Gavens Flower Emporium sounds so corny,"

"That reminds me," Kaiba said, somewhat hesitantly, "Once we're married, you'll probably come to live with me. I was considering finding a new home somewhere outside of Domino, but not too far away. How does that sound?"

Sonja nodded encouragingly, "It sounds fine. I'd hand main control of the shop and the apartment over to Sophie. Since she and Mokuba are like siblings, maybe he could take her place as the shop assistant,"

Kaiba chuckled, "Which brings me to another point. Mokuba's been talking about moving out on his own, lately."

Sonja's eyes widened and she sat back slightly, "Really? Is he ready?"

"I don't know. I personally think he's still too naïve to live alone. But he's persistent," Kaiba told her grimly. Sonja hummed to herself and then her face brightened as an idea occurred to her, "Wait, why don't we let Mokuba move in with Sophie, Arika, and Daichi?" she suggested. Kaiba cast a quick, almost bewildered glance at her, "Are you serious?"

"Sure, why not? Sophie and Mokuba have been like siblings since they met. In fact, very soon, they _will_ be siblings. Mokuba can help Sophie with the shop and safely live on his own,"

Kaiba considered the idea, staring off into space. The corner of his mouth twitched, threatening a smile. He sighed, "Sonja, I think you may be onto something there," he said, gazing over at her fondly. Sonja smiled warmly and moved closer him, snuggling up against him and closing her eyes, "Of course I am. We're a good match, aren't we?"

Kaiba was about to respond, but a sudden knock at the door stopped him before he could. They both looked up and Sonja said, "Dad? Come in,"

Damon slid the door open, stepping inside with a somewhat bitter look on his face. Sonja instantly grew suspicious and frowned, "Dad, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, Sonni. Here," he said, lightly tossing her the ring back, "But, if you don't mind, I'd like a word with the kid,"

Kaiba grimaced at Damon's pet name for him, but Sonja nudged him lightly, "Go on," she whispered. Kaiba sighed and stood up, moving to the door and following Damon out. Damon waited in the hallway, hands shoved in his pockets as he waited for Kaiba. Then, he made his way toward the stairs leading to the roof of the building. Kaiba wondered if maybe Damon planned to shove him off and make it look like an accident.

Up on the roof, it was chilly and the wind blew with an ominous moan, signaling the approach of more snow. The dark clouds hovering above them warned of the impending storm. Kaiba had misgivings about their flight in the morning.

Damon pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and started to pull one out. He stopped, gritted his teeth and then decisively yanked his arm back and hurled the entire box off the roof, as far into the horizon as he possibly could. He doubled over, groaning, "Damn," he hissed, "Cold turkey sucks,"

"Trying to quit, huh?" Kaiba ventured. Damon looked up slightly and sighed, "Yeah. I want to. No, not just want, I have to. See, up until recently, I'd lived alone on a meager security check. I've been smoking for about seven years now. But now, with Sonja and Sophie back in my life, I don't want them to breathe it. Plus, there's the possibility of grandchildren..." he said, trailing off hopefully. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, it's just not good, so I'm quitting. Sonja and Sophie are more than enough incentive,"

He looked up to gaze at the flowing gray clouds high in the night sky above them. He sighed, "Hey, Seto,"

Kaiba drew a quick breath in surprise; Damon had never once spoken his name until now. He turned, watching him carefully. Damon's white hair blew in the faint breeze crossing their path and Kaiba was reminded heavily of Sonja. Damon sighed again, "Do you really love Sonja? I mean really love her?"

Kaiba blinked in surprise and frowned, "Of course I do," he said, "Why?"

Damon kicked a pebble at his feet, "I love her too, and I loved her brother and her mother so much. Izzy and I spoke for the last time just before we were taken to separate facilities. Aside from the drugs that Allan planted in our home, there were other false, barely provable charges laid down against us. In fact, I'm fairly certain most of the evidence against me was fake and easily taken to be so, and that that's the only reason I got out. But Izzy's evidence must have been stronger, Seto. Because while I was eventually freed and sent away to Tokyo for a few years for probation, Izzy remained in that womens' penitentiary in Hiroshima, where she eventually died. I read her obituary and clipped it out."

He slowly proceeded past Kaiba, staring out over the glow of the city a few miles away, "I about died when I read it. I knew I'd lost Isabelle for good. I couldn't accept how alone I was. Sonja, Sophie, Samuel, and Isabelle, too. My entire family, wiped out in an instant. I cursed God, blaming him for everything he put me through. Zealots always say that there's a divine purpose behind our choices. I never believed it, at least, not until I got that email message from you, Seto,"

"But you disregarded that message," Kaiba pointed out. Damon chuckled dryly, "I know. I was hard on you, and I still am hard on you. I didn't want to believe that my girls were still alive and I could have been scouring the globe for them, but instead I sat on my butt in Tokyo for years, blaming myself for what happened, for ratting Allan out. I should have just left him and his gang alone. Then maybe my wife and son would still be alive,"

Kaiba stared at him as he stood, facing away from him, back hunched not from the cold, but from hardship carved in his body. Kaiba looked away, frowning, "But if you'd done that, Damon, then Sonja and I would never have met,"

Damon snorted, "That's awfully selfish of you," he growled.

"It's the truth. Face it, Damon, whether you want to admit it or not, I can promise Sonja a happier life. People may not know this about me, but my family means a lot to me. Sonja will soon become a member of my family and I'll do whatever I have to to protect her," Kaiba declared sternly.

Damon actually smiled warmly, something else Kaiba had never seen from him. The older man laughed and folded his arms, "You sound just like I did when I was convincing Henry to let me marry Isabelle. We'd been planning to elope up until I finally worked up the nerve to talk to him, to speak my mind. He respected that, and so do I,"

Damon turned and made his way over, reaching out to clap Kaiba on the shoulder, a lop-sided grin spreading across his face, "So then, I officially present you two with my wholehearted blessing,"

Kaiba blinked in surprise and nodded, "Thanks," he said, "I appreciate it,"

Damon chuckled, "That doesn't mean I'm not going to stop toying with you. You're a good challenge," Damon said, turning back toward the door. Kaiba sighed and shook his head, following him back down.

Back downstairs, Damon went to his room without a word, presumably to pack. Kaiba entered his and Sonja's room and stepped inside. Sonja had fallen asleep slumped against her suitcase, seemingly double-checking to make sure she had everything. Kaiba smiled in spite of himself and knelt down, lifting her up into his arms and setting her back down on the futon, covering her with a part of the blanket. But before he could stand up, she stirred suddenly and opened her eyes, sitting up with a small yawn, "Seto? Did I fall asleep?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, you did. I don't blame you; we have a long day tomorrow," he said.

"Oh, damn, I'd nearly forgotten the plane ride," Sonja said, " I am looking forward to snuggling into my own bed, though. I'd forgotten how weird these futons are," she said, standing up, wobbling and then falling back down again. She laughed, "Guess I stood up too fast," she said, "Sleepy, maybe, huh? Hey, Seto, why don't you get some sleep, hm?"

Kaiba frowned and shrugged, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. I should finish putting my things together, first,"

Sonja yawned again and lay back down, burrowing under the blanket, "Okay. Goodnight, Seto,"

She was asleep again within minutes. Kaiba sat down at the table, watching her. She claimed to be nervous about the plane ride, but he knew better. He was nervous about the same thing she was.

After all, when the arrived back in Domino, they'd begin forging a brand new life. It was pretty daunting. He smiled, for at the same time, it was...rather exciting as well.

A/N: Was that cute? I hope it was. It's getting easier to write this stuff. This story's still going strong, too. That's why I try to fit as much into a single chapter as I can. It makes for more leeway in the writing. You know, non-writers say that it's easy to write a novel. I'd sure like to see them sit down and try.


	20. Wildfire

A/N: I am ashamed. I really am. It's been almost a year since my last update. Wynter has taken over my life, I swear! I didn't mean to neglect Sonja, I promise! I have managed to rekindle my passion for this story and my muse has returned at last! I apologize profusely for letting you all down!

Sonja felt the jolt as the plane hit the runway and she bolted up, waking Kaiba up in the process. She sighed and leaned back against him, rubbing her eyes sleepily, "I guess we're home, now," she said.

"Yeah," he answered, "We are,"

In the row in front of them, Damon stood up, ignoring the seat-belt sign still on, and grinned back at them, "Aww, you two are so cute!" he cooed. Kaiba and Sonja both looked up at him wearily. Sonja sighed, "Listen, dad, you need to decide whether or not you approve of our relationship," she said, stretching.

"But whether or not I approve, it was adorable," Damon said with a grin.

The weather in Domino was snowy, but not terribly cold like you'd expect. Inside the airport, Sonja and Kaiba went to grab their two bags from baggage claim. From what they understood, Damon didn't have any luggage at all with him.

"Why?" Sonja had asked. Damon took a deep breath, puffed out his chest and declared, "I left all of my past memories behind me! I had nothing to gain by bringing it!"

"You didn't have anything _to_ bring, did you?" Sonja ventured. Damon's proud outlook deflated in an instant and he sighed, "Nothing worth packing," he muttered.

It was close to midnight when they'd landed, so Sonja was tired and didn't expect anyone to meet them. However, when they arrived at the front entrance, Kaiba suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Sonja sighed and looked up, "What is it, Seto?" she asked as she suddenly took in the scene before them.

As with before, when they'd returned from the business trip to Seattle, Ursula, on notice from Kaiba, had gathered Mokuba, Sophie, Daichi, Roland, and Arika to meet them at the airport. Sonja's eyes widened, "It's...everyone's here," she said.

Sophie stepped forward, not looking at Sonja, but at Damon. Sonja glanced back at their father. For the first time since his reunion with Sonja, Damon seemed a little defeated as he watched his youngest daughter approach, a grown woman, just like Sonja. Sophie's face was blank, "Sonja, who..." she mumbled, trailing off. Damon nodded encouragingly as Sophie frowned, trying to place his face. Finally, she drew a slow breath as it dawned on her, "D...Daddy?" she breathed.

"Sophie, it's me," Damon said. Sonja sensed Sophie's doubts and moved to stand beside her, smiling in confirmation, "It's him, Sophie," she mumbled, "Seto found him for us,"

Sophie looked back at Damon, her face suddenly beginning to scrunch up as the cloud of doubt lifted away. With a wail, she threw herself into Damon's arms, "Daddy!" she exclaimed as she started to cry.

"Hey, honey," Damon whispered, stroking her hair, "I missed you,"

Standing behind everyone, Ursula sniffled and wiped her right eye, "How sweet," she said before rushing forward and embracing Kaiba and Sonja, "You found their dad for them! Oh, I knew you had a soft side," she exclaimed to Seto.

"Ursula, get off," Kaiba grumbled.

Introductions followed for Arika and Daichi, as well as Sophie introducing Daichi as her boyfriend. Damon blanched as white as his hair and bit his lip, resisting the urge to yell. Sonja smiled sheepishly, "I guess he's not accepting of the fact that both of his daughters have significant others," she said with a laugh as Damon wandered off to lean against the wall, knocking his fist against it.

Roland proceeded forward and nodded stiffly to Kaiba, "Welcome back, sir," he said.

To everyone's surprise, Kaiba smiled slightly, "It's good to be back," he said. He cast a quick glance back at Sonja.

As with before, Ursula had rented an airport van to take them all home. This time, however, the seating arrangements were different to allow for more people. Roland and Ursula took the front two seats while Roland drove. Damon, Sophie and Daichi took the back and Damon spent the whole time yelling at Daichi for daring to date Sophie without his permission. Mokuba and Arika took the middle row and Arika taught Mokuba how to play Gin-Rummy with a pack of cards she'd brought along. The row just behind the driver's and passenger's seat were taken by Kaiba and Sonja. This time though, Sonja seemed a bit awkward. Kaiba believed he understood why. It was likely that only Damon knew about the engagement and Sonja was nervous to tell everyone. The only reason he knew this was because he felt the same way. It _was_ kind of hard to believe that soon, she'd be more than just his, well, girlfriend.

Soon, she'd be his wife. Of course they'd be nervous about talking.

Fortunately, fate often has a hand in such particular matters.

Damon had finally remembered Daichi and Arika as the two bullies from the townhouse.

"Damn it, you punk! After everything you two brats did to my kids, you think I'm gonna turn around and let you date my daughter?"

"B-But sir, I'm not the same as I was back then and I care about Sophie. Um...besides all that, you haven't even been around...," Daichi protested, somewhat lamely on the last part causing them both to blush slightly.

"No! No! No! No! Agreeing to let Sonja marry that guy over there is bad enough! I won't lose my baby girl, too!"

"_What!_" Everyone in the van exclaimed simultaneously. Sonja and Kaiba both winced. The cat was officially out of the bag. They were all pitched forward as Roland suddenly slammed hard on the brakes, swerving off to the side road right smack on the highway. Several cars blared their horns at them as they blazed past, but Roland paid them no mind as he shut the engine off while everyone swarmed out of the van, dragging Sonja and Kaiba with them and gathering around them on the side of the highway.

"Seto, is it true?" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly, "Did you finally ask Sonja to marry you?"

"Uh..." was all Kaiba could manage at the moment, still somewhat dazed from the sudden stop. Roland rushed around, opened his mouth as though to say something and then cleared his throat, scratching his head awkwardly, "Uh...congratulations, sir," he said stiffly.

"Thank you?" Kaiba said, blinking in surprise.

"Sonja, lets' see it, come on, show us! Show us!" Arika demanded shrilly as she, Ursula and Sophie swarmed around her. Sophie didn't wait, but grabbed her sister's left arm and held it up for them to see. Ursula, Arika, and Sophie all breathed a sigh of awe and Sophie threw her arms around Sonja's neck, "Sonja! It's beautiful! He finally asked! He finally did it! Yay! I'm gonna have two big brothers, soon!" she shrieked, bounding over and enveloping both Kaiba brothers in a bone-crushing embrace, "Yahoo! Welcome to the family, guys! From now on, I'm your little sister! Wahoo!"

Mokuba started laughing, "Yeah! We're gonna be siblings! Come on, Sophie!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm and running over to the guard rail. They both started up some kind of wacky dance that looked like a combination of _Thriller_ and the Cha-Cha Slide, causing nearly everyone to fall into hysterics from the mere sight of it.

Arika sighed, slumped her arm around Sonja's shoulders and grinned, "See? See? What'd I tell ya? That kimono came in handy, didn't it?" she said slyly. Sonja grimaced and shoved her over.

Sophie squealed happily, "So when is it planned for, huh sis?"

"Uh, well we were thinking maybe sometime in the fall," Sonja replied quietly, "Of course, it'll all depend on when we can get a reservation somewhere,"

"It's gonna be big! As soon as you get home, email Marik and Ishizu and tell them! No, no, invite them instead! Come on, it'll be great! Please?" Sophie exclaimed, "And Zigfried and Leon, and Mai, Tea, Yugi, Joey, Tristan—"

Sonja clapped a hand over her mouth and rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay, everyone now knows that we're officially engaged. How about we all get back into the van and go home, now?"

/ooo/

Roland dropped Ursula off at her home, first. She said she was expecting her son and his family the following morning from California and needed some rest. Most everyone else was going to Sonja's shop. At the mention of it, Damon got hyper and excited again; "You have a shop, Sonni? I can't wait to see it!" he squeaked, "What do you sell? Models? Books? Cards? Oh, oh, hey, I'll bet you sell antiques! That would be so awesome!"

Sonja laughed nervously, "Well, I don't sell antiques; Bernice next door does. I actually sell various varieties of flora, dad,"

Damon's eye twitched, "You sell...flowers?" he said uncertainly. Sonja nodded, smiling, "Yup. But it's been decided that once we're married, I'll hand the shop over to Sophie,"

"Yeah!" Sophie reiterated for Sonja, "I'll soon run the shop. Does that mean I can fire Sandra?"

"No, you can't fire Sandra," Sonja said firmly, "She really does need the job. Why, did she cause more trouble while I was gone?"

Sophie sighed heavily, "Yeah, you could say that," she mumbled, "She broke the front window by mistake and spilled blue paint all over the sidewalk,"

Sonja winced, "Jeez," she grumbled, "I _am_ tempted to fire her, but I won't. She's just such a klutz,"

"You can say that again, but please don't," Sophie said with a sigh, "But, there is good news,"

"What?"

"Her crush on Mr. Kaiba seems to have evaporated," Sophie said, "However, there is a drawback,"

"And what's that?" Sonja asked warily. Sophie started snickering, "Now she's madly in love with Yugi,"

Sonja started laughing, "Oh, poor Yugi," she said, "How's he taking it?"

"Being typical Yugi; he's tolerating it," Sophie said with a grin.

"Speaking of those guys," Mokuba interrupted, "What say we all tell them tomorrow first thing?"

"Uh..." Sonja said, a little unsure. Beside her, Kaiba sighed, "No, Mokuba,"

"Aw, why not?"

"Yeah," Sonja reiterated, "After all, I'd like to invite them,"

Kaiba glared at her, but realized she had a point. Besides, they were going to find out sooner or later. He figured rather sooner and get it over with that much more quickly. He sighed heavily, "Fine," he said, "We'll tell them tomorrow,"

Sonja smiled, "Thanks, Seto," she said.

It was fairly late by the time they reached Domino. Sonja tried to convince them all to go home and get some sleep. However, everyone with them wouldn't be swayed otherwise and while it was already past midnight, most everyone wanted to go back to the shop to celebrate and get all the details, Damon especially.

"Yup, I'm the proud father of the lovely bride-to-be," he boasted as they pulled around the corner on the street heading toward Sonja's shop.

"Yeah, I can see that," Mokuba agreed, "You and Sonja look identical. But you sure don't act the same. She's way more mellow than you are,"

Damon ground his teeth together, "Watch it squirt," he grumbled.

"You watch it, Damon," Kaiba snapped. Sonja took his arm and eyed both of them seriously, "Listen you guys, no fighting. It's almost two in the morning and I'm doing you guys a favor by letting everyone come over this late," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Damon grumbled with a sigh, "But I'm just excited! I never thought I'd get to see one of my babies get hitched!"

"Dad, please make up your mind," Sonja groaned, "You're starting to remind me of Bakura,"

"Who's that?"

"A guy we know who switched back and forth between his supposed good and dark halves for five years," she answered irritably. Damon frowned, "I'm not so thrilled with the idea of you being around schizos, Sonja,"

"He's not a schizo!" Sonja exclaimed, "And don't call them that; it's rude,"

Damon sighed, "Look at that; my daughter's more proper than I am!"

They pulled to a stop outside and Mokuba and Sophie were the first ones out, Sophie dragging Damon along behind them, "Come on, dad! I wanna show you the place! Hurry up, hurry up!"

Sonja and Kaiba got out following Arika and Daichi. Sonja noticed that Roland hadn't budged and moved to stand beside the van, knocking her knuckles against the window. He glanced over and then rolled down the passenger's window, "Yes?" he said, "What is it?"

"Aren't you coming?" Sonja asked.

"I'm afraid not; someone has to watch the van. It's a rental and I can't allow it to be stolen," Roland said. Sonja sighed and shook her head, "Come on, Roland, this is the quietest street in Domino. Nothing's happened here since Allan broke into my house five years ago. It's safe to leave the van out here,"

Roland appeared to mull it over, frowning in thought. He drummed his fingers on the dashboard a few times and then sighed, "All right, if you insist," he said.

"I do insist," Sonja said cheerfully. She stepped away and turned toward the house, heading up the stairs as Sophie stuck her head outside, "Come on, sis, what's taking you so long? You need to get up here, now!" she whined.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sonja asked, pausing halfway up the stairs.

"Dad smuggled a bottle of _sake_ out here and he's trying to get everyone to toast your engagement with it, that's what's wrong," she explained in exasperation. Sonja groaned and took the steps two at a time, rushing inside. Still down on the ground, Kaiba heard her arguing with Damon about it and Damon protesting her accusations and apparently refusing to surrender it.

"Come on, dad, half the people here are underage!" Kaiba heard her exclaim.

Roland moved to stand a couple of feet away, eyes turned to the door at the top of the stairs as the light glowed down into the darkness, illuminating the quiet street.

"Well, sir," Roland said, "If I may, I'd like to state that I never expected to see this day arrive as long as I've worked for you,"

Kaiba glanced at him strangely, "What do you mean?"

Roland shrugged, "I mean that, well, you never seemed like the type, that's all. Pardon me for saying so, but you've always kind of struck me as more of a lone wolf,"

"That's because it's more or less true, Roland," Kaiba said placidly, looking away, "But I suppose that in the end, wolves are always pack animals, aren't they?" he mused. He headed for the stairs, slowly making his way up them. Roland just stared after him in amazement. Never before had he heard the infamous Seto Kaiba speak so eloquently and mean it. He smiled and chuckled, folding his arms, "Well how about that? Sonja Gavens, you are one special girl," he said fondly.

/ooo/

Sonja opened her eyes to the sound of muffled voices in the living room and the smell of something cooking. She rubbed her eyes wearily and looked at the clock on the wall. Instantly, her eyes went wide in alarm; it was nearly noon! She'd wasted half the day asleep!

"Oh jeez," she exclaimed, throwing back the covers and reaching for her robe. Before she could even put it on, however, she jumped a mile as the door to her room was hurled open and Damon and Sophie marched in with a tray piled with toast and scrambled eggs. Sonja eyed the two of them curiously, "Uh, what's all this?" she asked.

"Celebration!" Sophie cried, bolting forward and plowing into her sister, throwing them both back against the mattress. Sonja shoved her aside and sat up, rubbing her head, "You mean you haven't had enough?" she asked.

"Of course not!" Sophie declared, "After all, it's been over five years and the two of you are _finally_ admitting that you even like each other, much less getting married!"

Sonja couldn't help but blush slightly as Damon plopped the tray down on the bed and crossed his legs on the floor, grinning up at her, "Aw, my baby's embarrassed," he cooed.

"Dad, shut up," Sonja grumbled, whipping the pillow in his face. Damon chuckled and reached for a piece of toast, "In any case, since we went to bed so late, I figured you needed your rest, so I told Sophie to let you sleep in,"

"Dad," Sonja growled, "Part of the problem wasn't just my fatigue; there's also the little matter of you forcing me to drink some of that _sake_ you smuggled out here," she snapped, gritting her teeth as she reached for a piece of toast and spread some scrambled eggs across the buttery surface. She took a bite and sighed, rubbing her forehead, "My head hurts, now. I do hope you realize you've just given me my first hangover. Ugh,"

"Agh, you're such a wimp, Sonni," Damon barked, "You only had half a glass!"

"Which is more than enough, thank you. I only did it to placate you," Sonja muttered, chewing on a bite of egg and toast, "And besides, if I hadn't, you'd have forced the local minors to drink with you, which is illegal out here, I might add,"

"Details, details," Damon scoffed, "Anyway, it's time for you to go and tell everyone you know now, Sonni!"

"No, it's time for me to go downstairs and open up the shop. _Then_ I'll tell people," Sonja said as she took another piece of toast. She ate it quickly, shooing her father and sister out so she could dress in privacy. Sophie had sometimes burst in on her during these times and it never really bothered her, but Damon was a bit of a different matter. It was going to be weird having him around again. Sonja knew that their tiny apartment wouldn't support everyone for long. When she married Kaiba, as they agreed, she'd move in with him while they looked for a new place to live and Mokuba would take her place in the apartment to live with Damon, Sophie, Arika, and Daichi as a first step to living alone. Putting five people up together was difficult, so she decided she'd speak with Arika about her and Daichi finding their own apartment sometime in the near future.

Thinking about her own upcoming wedding gave her jitters. She felt a sudden rush of anxiety and quickly thought of how Sandra was doing downstairs instead. She'd gotten good at quelling the panic attacks over the years and discovered that certain movies often did the trick. She'd even bought a portable DVD player to watch whenever they came on. She also discovered an herbal supplement that calmed her nerves if she needed it.

She paused as her cell began to ring. She picked it up and balanced it between her chin and shoulder, "Hello?" she said as she unfolded her shirt.

"_Good morning,_"

"Seto? How out of character for you. Usually you just get straight to the point on the phone, rather than bother with pleasantries,"

"_Why do you always feel the need to nitpick everything I do?_"

"I'm going to be your wife soon," Sonja joked, "I need to get into practice,"

"_I tried calling earlier, but you didn't answer,_"

"You're not going to believe this, but I just woke up. That small bit of _sake_ I had last night on dad's insistence gave me a bit of a hangover. I don't handle alcohol well at all,"

"_I'm sorry. I should have stepped in,_"

"Don't apologize, Seto; it doesn't become you," Sonja said.

"_Egh,_"

Sonja started laughing, "So, what are you planning to do?"  
"_I've already begun looking into various planners...I'm sorry, Sonja, but with my work schedule, there's no way we can handle this ourselves,_"

"Seto, please, I've known you for five years and probably been subconsciously in love with you for half that time. I know what to expect and I'm okay with it. However, I do have one request,"

"_What is it?_" he asked. Sonja turned to look out the window, "I'd like to have a part in the guests," she said, "Despite your misgivings, there are certain people I'd like to invite. Please?"

There was silence on the other end. Sonja knew that with some of the people she wanted to invite, she was pushing the limit on his patience. She sighed, "I know it's a lot to ask, Seto, and I know you don't like some of these people, but they're still friends. Face it, most of your acquaintances don't like you,"

"_Fine,_" he said, "_I'll leave you in charge of the guest list. But do me a favor and try to keep some of them away from me. You know who I mean,_" he grumbled.

"That's going to be kind of hard," Sonja pointed out, "It is our wedding, after all,"

He sighed on the other end, "_Yeah, I know. Hm? Hey, listen Sonja, I have to get off the line. The planner is going to take care of finding a hall for us and arranging all the finer details, such as catering,_"

"I understand. I guess I'll see you later, then,"

"_Sonja...," _he said, hesitating, "_...I...I love you,_"

Sonja blinked in surprise and smiled, "I love you, too," she muttered. They hung up and Sonja stared at the floor, a faraway glaze in her eyes. This still felt surreal, like any minute she'd wake up and find that the past few months were all a dream. She sure hoped not. She couldn't remember such a feeling of calm before.

_Crash! _

_ "Oh no, I broke it! Oh man, Sonja's gonna blow a sack!" _

_ " 'Stack', dad. Blow a stack," _

_ "Oh, whatever! Quick, find me some glue!" _

Sonja sighed. Of course that calm couldn't last.

/ooo/

Kaiba glowered at Mokuba as he hung upside down on the sofa in the study, laughing himself silly with his arm draped over his eyes, "Oh man, Seto, that was hilarious!" he choked.

"Mokuba, shut up," Kaiba growled.

"But seriously, _you_ getting flustered during a phone call to Sonja! And then cutting her off by pretending you were getting another call! I never thought I'd live to see the day!"

"It's not that big of a deal, Mokuba. I have work to do," Kaiba grumbled, scrolling down a page on his computer. In truth, Mokuba was right; all of a sudden, he had gotten quite flustered. He felt bad for cutting her off, but he kept reminding himself of the reality of this situation. She was his fiance and they were going to be married in a couple of months. He shouldn't be so anxious about it.

But he was; there was no getting around that. Sonja was the first relationship he'd ever had. Before, Mokuba or Ursula had often attempted to set him up on blind or otherwise dates and he'd always refused adamantly, claiming he didn't have the time, nor the interest. This usually resulted in a smack over the head with a magazine or even a bagel on occasion by Ursula. He'd always believed that he'd spend the rest of his life working alone and would eventually pass the company along to Mokuba and his future family. It was a decision he'd been willing to live with and work around.

That is, until he met Sonja. Oh sure, falling in love with her had been the farthest thing from his mind when they actually met, and the same applied to her. But they'd developed a close friendship over the course of four or five months as he gradually figured out all of her skeletons in the closet. He was quite sure that only a couple of years had passed at the most when he figured he'd probably begun to feel more for her than he allowed himself to let on. She was the only person besides Mokuba who understood the pressure he was under. But because of this, she had never allowed herself to lean on anyone, least of all, him. In a sense, he supposed, they had Allan to _thank_ for all of this. He knew he was being incredibly selfish by thinking such thoughts, but it couldn't be helped. The past couldn't be undone.

"Hey, Seto," Mokuba said, flipping right-side up before all the blood rushed to his head, "This is probably kinda soon to ask this, but do you think you and Sonja will have any kids?"

Kaiba froze as he sorted through some paperwork concerning a business deal impending with a southern company. How the heck was he supposed to answer this one? Sure, it was a simple enough question, but thinking about it set his nerves off. It was almost as bad as that old question of where babies came from. He remembered asking his own parents that years ago and the answer he'd gotten was so vague he couldn't even remember it.

"...Possibly," he said after a slight pause, "After all...having an heir would ease the strain of passing this large corporation on to a single individual. You'd...have someone to help you," he said, tripping over his words. Even to him they sounded ridiculous. Mokuba sighed and shook his head, "I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen you embarrassed, Seto. And this makes three,"

"Then don't ask ridiculous questions," Kaiba grumbled, scanning over a notice without actually reading it.

Mokuba hummed, glancing around the office blankly, "You know, I'd gotten kinda used to them living here with us. It feels weird, now,"

"They left weeks ago," Kaiba pointed out, relieved for a change of subject.

"Yeah. But I guess Sonja will be back soon. Does this mean you two are going to let me live by myself?"

"I thought we already discussed this with you," Kaiba said, "Sonja and I talked it over and she's going to let you take her place in the shop. This way you can live independently. However, I don't think you're ready to live on your own. Give it a few more years,"

He expected Mokuba to expel some backlash in anger. Instead, his brother hummed in clear disappointment, but nodded, "Okay," he said, "I guess that makes sense,"

He stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, moving toward the door, "I guess I'll head out for a bit. Sophie's hanging out with Daichi today, so there's nothing much to do,"

He left quietly, shutting the door behind him. Kaiba set his pen down, tapping it absently against his desk.

However, for the rest of the afternoon, concentration refused to come back to him.

/ooo/

Sonja was busily arranging a bunch of Morning Glories for an apology bouquet from some kid down the street to his girlfriend living across town. Sonja hadn't asked for the story, but he'd gone and spilled his guts anyway, telling her everything. Thanks to his rambling, she now knew that it was in fact possible to triple park, as well as anger your girlfriend by calling her every five minutes.

Leaning on the broom handle, watching her with a bland expression, Sandra sighed, "I've been working here three months," she said, "Think maybe I can have a raise?"

"When you stop breaking things, I'll give you one," Sonja answered, picking up her scissors and snipping off a rotten branch.

"I'm trying. But no matter how much I work at it, I'm still a klutz," Sandra whined, "That advice you gave me isn't much motivation,"

"What advice?"

"You know, what you said when you came in here incognito. Remember?"

Sonja smiled mysteriously, "I'm afraid I've no idea what you speak of, Sandra," she said innocently, while at the same time sounding devilish, "I was never incognito,"

Sandra rolled her eyes. Of course Sonja was going to deny it.

They both looked up at the sound of the door opening. Sonja seemed a bit surprised to see Mai and Tea standing there staring at her irritably. Both of them looked about ready to fly off the handle. They stalked forward and grabbed Sonja by the arm, "You're coming with us!" they declared.

Sonja dragged her feet across the floor as she turned back to Sandra, "Uh, I'm apparently leaving for a bit! Watch the shop, Sandra!" she yelled as they yanked her out the door and she disappeared around the corner.

Sonja stumbled along behind them as they plowed down the sidewalk, "Uh, guys? Did I do something wrong? What's the deal? Can someone explain this to me, please?"

Sonja didn't get an answer until about ten minutes later when they'd dragged her all the way to Lonnie's and pushed her into a chair at the table before darting into chairs opposite her, leaning on the table and watching her expectantly.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner!" they exclaimed.

"Huh?" Sonja said in reply, "You mean my engagement?"

"Duh!" Tea exclaimed, "So, lets' see it, come on! Show us!"

Without even really waiting, Mai lashed out and snatched Sonja's left arm, dragging her hand into view and revealing the stone. Both girls gasped in awe, "Wow!" Tea exclaimed, "It's gorgeous! And yet at the same time, it's so simple! I didn't expect that from Kaiba,"

"Neither did I," Mai said as she and Tea sat back, smiling, "Congratulations, kiddo,"

Sonja fought with all her might not to blush, "Thanks guys," she mumbled, "But it's a little embarrassing,"

Mai waved her statement off with a sound of carelessness, "Oh, pish-posh, Sonja, it's amazing! Kaiba is like the last guy you'd ever expect to marry someone and settle down,"

Tea squealed suddenly, "So who's gonna be your maid of honor?" she asked excitedly.

Sonja shrugged, "If it isn't Sophie, probably one of you two,"

"I got dibs already!" Mai shrieked, waving her arm.

"Hey, you can't call dibs!" Tea protested angrily.

"Guys, don't fight," Sonja said wearily. Tea crossed her arms, scowling, "Fine, but if she's maid of honor, I'm godmother to your first kid, Sonja,"

_Here_, Sonja blushed heavily and plunked her head down on the table to hide it, "Tea, please, it's too early to be thinking of that," she moaned.

"Well, that depends," Tea said, "When's the wedding?"

Sonja sighed, her face still on the table, "We were thinking maybe autumn, but both of our schedules go haywire around that time, so Seto and I were thinking maybe a little sooner," she explained.

"You don't seem excited," Mai pointed out concernedly. Sonja shrugged, "I'm excited. But...I don't know what to think about it. I mean, seriously, I'm getting married. How am I supposed to feel?"

Now it was Mai's turn to shrug, "Don't sweat it, kiddo. Look, I've almost been forced into it twice, but I'm definitely in it someday. But that's just me. You want to marry the guy, right?"

She nodded faintly, "Yeah,"

"And you're after him 'cause of how he makes you feel, right?"

She shrunk even lower into her chair, "Yeah," she said again.

"Plus, _he's_ the one who proposed to _you_, hon. It's pretty clear he feels the same. You two went through heck and back a few months ago, so it's only right that you're rewarded for all your effort,"

Sonja fiddled with the ring on her finger, "I know that's true. But you know, it's kind of surreal,"

"It's just butterflies, Sonja," Tea said encouragingly, "After all, this is a life-changing thing. So, what's the arrangement gonna be once you're married?"

"He and I decided that he was going to sell the house he and Mokuba are currently living in. Mokuba's going to move in with Sophie, Arika, and Daichi and get a taste of living on his own,"

"So what about you two?" Mai asked, eyebrow raised.

"We were going to search for a new home and it was agreed that I'd go to live with him. I'm going to hand control of the shop over to Sophie,"

Tea giggled fiercely, "I can totally see you in the role of housewife," she joked.

Sonja's eyes flared, "Knock it off! I didn't say I was _giving_ Sophie the business! I'm still going to be there during the day, Tea," she snapped.

Tea held her hands up defensively, "Don't get so touchy, Sonja. I'm kidding. But seriously," she said, her tone growing serious all of a sudden, "If I can't be maid of honor, I really want to be godmother. Pretty please?"

Sonja groaned, "Again, it's too early to be thinking of that," Sonja grumbled, "Besides...well, never mind,"

"What?" Mai probed. Sonja just shook her head, standing up quickly, "Nothing guys. Look, I really need to be getting back before Sandra breaks anything important. I'll fill you guys in on the dates and stuff later, all right?"

She set off down the sidewalk, leaving them to twist around to stare after her in confusion. Sonja had felt the sudden need to avoid the continuation of the conversation from that point. One thing she was concerned about involving Tea's request was beginning to bother her again. After all the trauma she'd been through, Sonja had recently begun to wonder whether or not she was even capable of having children. You never could tell what that kind of stress would do to the human body. It almost made her worry, but she knew better than to dwell on it. Besides, she had stuff to take care of then.

/ooo/

Time passes slowly. Winter changed to spring and and spring changed to summer. Sonja barely noticed the time go by. She was trapped in a torrent of excitement and fear all rolled into one. She was getting married. Everything became a blur. But of course, that was impossible. Standing on the brink of summer's passage into fall and looking back over the craggy pathway only made it seem like time had become a blur. Sonja knew that soon, everything would change for her. For Sophie, too.

Serenity Wheeler was in town for the big event. In the five years since meeting Sonja, she'd completed her high school years and moved back to Domino city to start her career. She'd taken up sewing and, despite her young age, owned a successful sewing supplies store and sewing machine maintenance. Upon hearing the news and discovering that Sonja was in the market for a dress, Serenity insisted on making one for Sonja as a wedding gift. Sonja politely refused at first, but Serenity looked so downcast that she eventually caved. The girl was so excited and promised Sonja the most beautiful dress she'd ever laid eyes on.

Now, Sonja sat with Sophie and Mai in the upstairs loft of the Wheeler Sewing Central store. She re-buttoned her shirt after having her measurements taken for the dress and Serenity studied them carefully on her notepad. She frowned, "Wow, Sonja, you're so tiny. This is gonna be a tricky dress. You're really pale, too,"

"I burn easily," Sonja answered, "My white hair does it. I have no protection from the sun," she said as she sat down in a chair beside the window, "And I can't help it that I'm tiny, Serenity. I'm tall, that's all,"

"Yeah," Sophie joked, "You're almost as tall as Kaiba. But even he's a little bit taller than when you met him. Mokuba told me,"

"Great," Sonja growled, "So now I'm tiny and short, too,"

Mai sighed, "Boy, Sonja, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. Being tiny is really going to hinder the process, you know,"

Sonja eyed her evilly, "Don't say another word," she hissed so menacingly that Mai blanched and backed away, "Whooee, girl, you could give Marik a run for his money! Sheesh!"

"What process? What are you talking about?" Sophie asked.

"Nothing, Sophie," Sonja answered testily, "In the meantime, Serenity, what are your thoughts?"

Serenity looked up from a heap of white, silver, and cream-colored fabric sitting on her desk across the room, "I was thinking since you have white skin _and_ white hair, I shouldn't make it all out of white and wash you out even more. What about a nice cream to offset the white you already sport?" she asked.

"I don't mind. The dress is just a dress, you know? I never really cared about it all that much," Sonja admitted with a shrug. Mai grinned, "So you're saying you _never _had that girlish dream of wearing a beautiful white wedding dress someday?" she chimed.

"Nope," Sonja said firmly, "Not ever. That's not to say I never dreamed about getting married; I'm just saying I never dreamed about the dress, that's all,"

She gestured to her sister, "Sophie, on the other hand—"

"You can stop right there," Sophie snapped, folding her arms.

Serenity meanwhile, was busily sketching away on a pad, occasionally looking up at Sonja and then returning her eyes to her drawing. Sonja eventually noticed and frowned, "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Designing the dress, Sonja. It's going to be original. Since you're elegant enough already by yourself, I'm going to make it simple, but breathtaking. Knowing Kaiba like I do, I want him to take one look at the dress and realize exactly what he's managed to find,"

Sonja sighed, "Serenity, you're making it sound way creepier than it actually is," she groaned.

"I think it's darling," Mai pointed out, "That idiot's skull is hard enough to use as a cannonball if he felt like it. I think she's right; he doesn't seem to realize exactly how lucky he is to snag a girl like you," she said with a wink, "So Serenity, make this your swan song project, you hear me?"

Serenity smiled, "That I can do, though it won't really be my swan song, Mai. I'm too young for that. I've got too many ideas,"

Mai giggled and turned to Sonja, "So, when's the date for?" she asked.

"We're setting it for the 30th of September. For the most part, we've had to rely on wedding planners to get it done. For some reason, Kaiba's planning a big ceremony,"

Mai frowned at Sonja's drop in enthusiasm, "Kind of makes you uncomfortable, huh?" she ventured.

"Well, yeah, a little bit," Sonja admitted, "But it's fine. I'm hoping it'll be the only wedding I ever have, so I suppose it needs to be big,"

She glanced out the window, watching the afternoon sun begin to sink over the west side of Domino. She'd never really thought about it before now, but the sunset was actually very pretty. This whole town was pretty. Before coming to America, she'd never even heard of Domino before. She'd selected this town completely at random while secretly buying their plane tickets out. She never dreamed that in five years, her life would change so drastically. It was kind of scary, but at the same time, she was fine with it. She finally had a new lease on life.

"Done!" Serenity exclaimed, holding up the pad. She turned it around to show them.

"Ugh," everyone groaned simultaneously.

"Serenity, what do you think I am, a circus clown?" Sonja grumbled. Serenity scowled, "I never said it was finished, I just said the first draft was done," she muttered childishly.

She went back to drawing.

/ooo/

That evening, Sonja pulled a dish of diced potatoes out of the oven, setting them on the stove to cool as she pulled off her oven mitts, "Guys, dinner!" she called. She pulled a pitcher of iced tea out of the fridge and poured a few packets of sweetener into it. The faint laughter of everyone playing a board game in the next room floated into her ears. She smiled and sighed, "Hey!" she yelled again, leaning around the corner.

_Knock, knock!_

Briefly forgetting about the rest of the family, she turned around toward the front door. The curtains were drawn over the windows, but she could see the faint outline of someone standing on the top step outside.

"Just a second," she called, moving over to the door, "Hm, wonder who it could be at this hour,"

She unlocked the door, pulling it open to reveal an aged old man standing there with a snow white beard reaching almost to his hands draped at his sides. His wrinkled eyes were closed, but snapped open at the sound of the door opening. Sonja stared at him a few minutes, blinking in confusion, "Um...can I help you?" she asked.

The old man frowned, humming slightly, "No, no, this can't be right. You were so little the last time. Where's Damon?"

More confused than ever, Sonja hesitated before answering, "Uh, hold on, I don't—"

"What the hell!"

Sonja whirled in alarm at her father's appearance in the hallway, gaping at the old man in the doorway. The old man grinned a crooked, toothy old grin, "Ah, hey there, m'boy, how's it going?" he greeted.

"You know each other?" Sonja ventured. The old man ignored Damon's sputtering protests and stepped inside, grabbing Sonja's hand, "I'm delighted to see you again, my dear! Absolutely delighted! You've grown up marvelously, you hear me? Just as beautiful as your grandmother was!"

Sonja instinctively pulled away, glancing at Damon, "Dad, who is this, if you don't mind?"

Damon by this point had finally gotten over his shock and stood staring in bewilderment. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Uh, Sonja this is...uh, well you see, he's...um—"

The old man heaved a hefty sigh, "Oh, come now, Damon, I always knew you to be a little daft, but you can't tell me you forgot to tell her about her own grandfather,"

"_Grandfather!_" Sonja shrieked.

A/N: Cliffhanger! Cauryn came up with this! You're gonna love it! But it's gonna take one final book to explain everything, so hang in there if you don't already hate me. Again, I can't apologize enough for making you all wait so long. Please forgive me! T_T


	21. It All Begins From Here

A/N: There are no words. Just no words to how horrible I am. Please try to enjoy and save your irritation at my negligence till the end. -_-;

It All Begins From Here

"Okay, okay, slow down," Sonja snapped, "So you're telling me that this old man who I've never seen before in my life, is my grandfather?" she exclaimed to Damon.

"W-ell," Damon said, scratching his head and glancing at the old man sitting calmly at the table with his hands folded, "Technically your great-grandfather, Sonni. He's my grandpa. I never told you about him because quite frankly, I was sure he was dead," he said in bewilderment.

"So what makes you sure it's him?" Sonja asked skeptically, folding her arms. For the first time, Damon appeared irritated, "Really? You don't see the family resemblance at all?" he grumbled, "Sonja, he looks just like you for Pete's sake!"

"And actually," the old man said, "You _have _met me before, Sonja. However, you were extremely small, then. Hardly outside of your mommy's tummy,"

"I'm not a kid you know," Sonja grumbled, "I know how it all works, so please don't patronize me. Anyway, who are you? Lets' start with that,"

The old man nodded, clearing his throat, "Of course, of course, my dear. My name is Angus Thunderbird. And no, I'm not Native American. That's just my name. I met you just minutes after you were born. You were so cute and so little. We were all afraid you wouldn't make it, though,"

Sonja, still unconvinced, frowned, "I don't really get it. If you're really my grandfather, where have you been all these years?" she asked.

"Looking for you, of course. I heard about what happened and I've spent years scouring the globe for you. When I saw those reports that some young man out here was, as they say, going out with a young woman with white hair, I knew it had to be you. And here I am," he said, extending his arms outward with a crinkly old smile, "And I see from the band on your finger that I may be just in time,"

"Well," Sonja said, glancing at the ring, "Yes, I am getting married in just a few weeks. But I'm still not sure about you," she grumbled, glaring in Angus' direction. The old man sighed, "All right, I'll prove it. You were born September 12th at 8:32 on a chilly Sunday morning. You were premature with ill-functioning lungs, but you survived with flying colors. Your favorite color was indigo, you enjoyed riding trains, and your favorite song was _Sakura Drops_ by Utada Hikaru, which Isabelle would occasionally play to help you go to sleep at night. Your favorite teddy bear that played the lullaby was donated by me as a welcome home present the day your parents brought you home from the hospital. Anything else you'd like to know? Granted, I can only tell you the things you enjoyed as a child. I've no idea what you like these days since I only just found you again,"

Sonja just stared, mouth slightly ajar before sighing heavily and resting her head on her upraised hand, "Okay, I'll buy that he's at least related in some way," she grumbled in defeat, "But I'm still suspicious,"

"Aw, can't you trust your old man?" Damon whined.

"Dad, you don't have both oars in the water and you know it," Sonja pointed out gently, "In the meantime, what are we going to do with him?" she asked, gesturing toward Angus.

"I was kinda hoping I could stay here," Angus said sheepishly. Sonja sighed heavily, "Why not? Not like five people isn't enough in this little apartment," she exclaimed sarcastically. She sighed again, "Fine, you can stay. But where am I supposed to put you?"

"If you have a spare blanket, I'm good on the floor," Angus volunteered happily.

"You're an aged old man; I can't put you on the floor," Sonja protested in amazement, "Look, I'll take the sofa—again. You can have my room. I'll talk to Arika about her and Daichi moving out soon. Not like I'm going to be here for too long, anyway,"

"Thanks, Sonni," Damon exclaimed happily, "I promise he won't be any trouble,"

Even so, Angus insisted on sleeping in the living room so she eventually caved in, being too tired to argue. Sonja gathered blankets, sheets, and pillows and set up a makeshift bed for the old man on the sofa. However, despite her intentions, Angus pulled them all down onto the floor and rolled up in a shapeless ball, fast asleep in seconds. Damon offered to sleep on the couch instead to keep an eye on him and Sonja headed back to her room. Before closing the door, however, she paused, glancing back at Damon standing in the border between the living room and kitchen.

"Dad, is he really my grandfather?" she asked quietly. Damon eyed her curiously and sighed, casting a quick look at the snoring lump on the floor.

"Sonja, I have every reason to believe that he is in fact my old granddad. Besides, after everything you've been through, I wouldn't do anything I wasn't entirely sure of. Do you understand, sweetheart?" he asked her gently. Sonja turned her gaze to the floor, pondering. She finally nodded, "I suppose so," she answered.

"Don't be so uptight, Sonja," he said, smiling, "You've got your own life to think about right now. I can't have my baby girl getting the jitters weeks before her wedding is even due to start, right?"

Sonja nodded in agreement, bid him goodnight and closed her door. As she laid down on her bed and pulled the covers over herself, she sighed. Her life was weird; that much was certain. It was only natural for a long lost relative to suddenly show up on her doorstep, right? Well...maybe not. In any case, Damon seemed sure, but she just wasn't. Deciding that she'd speak with Seto about in the morning, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

/ooo/

Sonja hadn't slept well that night. Finally awakening completely around four in the morning, she found herself staring into nothingness until the sun finally graced its presence through her curtains. She stumbled into the kitchen and found the old man sitting at the table with Sophie, but Damon nowhere in sight, she became just a little bit confused.

"So you're really our great-grandpa," Sophie said, understandably skeptical. The old man just nodded, grinning pleasantly, "That I am, my dear girl. And I must say, I never expected you to grow up to look so much like your dear aunt Melody. Rest her precious soul; it's a shame the two of you never met her. But Sophie, you are the spitting image,"

Sophie frowned, pursing her lips together and humming at the back of her throat, "You're weird," she grumbled.

"Grandfather," Sonja said in surprise, "Where's dad?"

Angus looked up, squinting in the early morning sunlight, "Oh, good morning, my dear," he greeted, "Your daddy went to go and get everyone some breakfast, my treat. And I'm going out later today to get you a nice wedding present. Oh, and I'll want to meet your fiance later on today too, if at all possible,"

Sonja frowned, "Wow, you don't waste any time, do you?" she mumbled, sitting down beside her sister at the table, "I'll see if I can get a hold of Seto this afternoon. Today's the day I'm going to call the guests and make sure they got their invitations,"

"Who all are you inviting, sis?" Sophie asked apprehensively. She knew as well as Sonja did that most of the guests were people Kaiba didn't like. But it couldn't be helped, as most of the people he knew well didn't like him at all.

"Well, among them are Ziegfried and Leon, Marik, Ishizu and Odeon, and a few others," Sonja said.

"Is Mr. Kaiba okay with Marik being here?"

"The two of us have been penpals for almost two years, now," Sonja answered, "And I want them to come," she said with a shrug.

"Where is it?" Sophie asked.

"We wanted to keep as much media attention away from it as possible," Sonja explained, "And even with whatever Pegasus did to quiet them, they're still going to try to cover our wedding. We'd like as little media attention as possible, so we're actually holding it on the grounds of their current estate,"

"Sounds like a dull garden party," Sophie grumbled.

"That's kinda the idea," Sonja admittedly sheepishly, "Hopefully, the more like a garden party it looks, the fewer sneaks will be busting in. Besides, the place is well armed with security systems, so it should be fairly safe," she sighed heavily, "But I've learned to never under-estimate the media. _Or_ the paparazzi," she groaned.

Sophie nodded affirmation, "Yeah, I expect we'll be seeing candid shots in the tabloids hours after it's over," she muttered.

Angus grinned suddenly, "Not to worry my dear, I'm sure it will be a memorable wedding to say the least,"

Sonja frowned skeptically, but shrugged again, "I suppose so," she agreed.

/ooo/

That afternoon, Sonja had decided to talk to Kaiba for a bit and prepared a few sandwiches to take along. She left Sophie to take care of the shop and to keep an eye on Sandra while she was gone. Arika and Daichi were out apartment-hunting, Damon had gone out to get fitted for a new tuxedo, and Angus was napping upstairs, so she predicted a fairly quiet afternoon ahead of them.

As she expected, she found Ursula hard at work on the ground floor behind her desk with a pen clamped between her teeth and another one poking out from her fluffy red hair. She looked up in surprise when Sonja came in and spit the pen out; "Sonja, what a nice surprise! Come over here!"

"Hi Ursula," Sonja greeted, "How are you?"

"Couldn't be better! My new little grandson just started rolling over! They sent me videos and everything!" she squealed excitedly before settling down a dramatic cough, "So I take it you're here to see your husband?" she said with a leer and a wink.

"We're not married yet, Ursula," Sonja pointed out.

"So? That's just a technicality. Anyhoo, what's in the bag?" she asked, jabbing her pen in the direction of the plastic sack she carried. Sonja shrugged, "It's a little past noon now, and knowing him, he'll probably forget to eat again, so I brought us something,"

"Ooh, how cute! Go on up; don't let an old grandma like me keep you," she cackled in a nasally, elderly voice. Sonja laughed and headed for the elevator.

As she expected, she found him busily typing on his computer while scanning a small stack of documents sitting on the desk beside him. He glanced up as the door opened and his face registered slight surprise, "Oh, Sonja. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I just came by to visit for a while," she answered, "Is that okay?"

"...Uh, yeah, that's fine," he said, "What's in the bag?"

"I brought some sandwiches for us to have. Would you like one?" she offered.

He hesitated briefly, glancing over at the stack of files and the unfinished stock report on his computer screen. His eyes narrowed slightly and he hummed, "Sure," he said, turning back to her. Right as she smiled happily before moving to drag one of the office chairs over, he knew that making up this work that night would be well worth it. Somehow, he felt as if he'd do just about anything to see that smile.

She sat down and paused to look out the window, "It's a pretty day," she remarked, "I hope it's like this on the big day,"

"Yeah, I hope so, too,"

She pulled a tin-foil wrapped half of sandwich out and handed it to him, "They're kind of plain," she admittedly, "I need to go shopping this week,"

She stared out the window again, "You know Seto, I was thinking about how much you've grown up since the tournament days,"

"Huh?" he said incredulously.

"You were so wild and impulsive. When I compare how you were then with how you are now, it's a little surreal,"

"Humph. You know, you weren't always like you are, either," he backfired, "You were somewhat on the wild side, yourself. That and you had a barrier around you thicker than the Great Wall of China,"

"Very funny," she grumbled, "Anyway, I've about finished the guests. I already spoke with one of them this morning,"

"Which one?" he asked warily.

"Marik,"

Kaiba rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, "I'm really not sure about this, Sonja. You weren't awake to see what he was like,"

"Seto, we've been penpals for two years and you and I both saw him again when Yugi had to go to Egypt. You saw clearly that he'd changed immensely. Besides, every time the subject comes up, he always seems genuinely sorry for what he did,"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, glaring off into space, "I don't approve, Sonja, and I probably never will. However...I did promise you that you could take care of the guest list. I'm willing to trust your judgment on this one," he said almost warningly. But Sonja knew better. She smiled, "Thanks. I promise you won't be sorry,"

"For both our sakes, I hope you're right," he muttered.

Sonja wisely changed the subject then, "Did I tell you that Serenity is making my dress?" she asked as she picked the crusts off her sandwich.

"No, you didn't. Wait, you don't mean Serenity Wheeler, do you?"

"Yup. She's living in Domino now. She owns that new sewing supplies store down on Front Street. Turns out she's quite the seamstress,"

"Does Wheeler know about this?" Kaiba asked.

"Not that I know of. Of course, if he didn't before, it's entirely likely that she told him, so by now, he probably does," she said, shrugging, "It's pretty funny; he still thinks you blackmailed me into marrying you," she chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised at that coming from that monkey?" Kaiba groaned.

"Give him a break, Seto. He's not as wired as he used to be. He's a police officer now and when he isn't on duty, he duels in local tournaments. He's a good duelist and you know it,"

Kaiba sighed again, "Look Sonja, only to you will I admit aloud that yes, I can see his skills have radically improved since he began. However, I'd sooner go bankrupt than tell him that directly,"

Sonja shook her head, still laughing, "Somehow I knew you'd say that," she admitted.

"If you knew, then why did you ask?" he grumbled.

"Because I knew it would bug you,"

"You're seriously annoying, you know that?"

"Aw, you love me anyway,"

He shook his head in momentary defeat as he finally unwrapped his own sandwich, taking a bite absently. He froze, staring at it in irritation, "Sonja, what is this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Egg salad,"

He rewrapped the sandwich again and went back to typing on his computer. Sonja scowled, "You jerk," she snapped.

/ooo/

Sonja had managed to disclose the information regarding Angus staying at her house during her visit with Kaiba. He'd understandably been astonished and slightly disturbed that yet _another_ lost relative of hers had shown up out of the blue. As for advice, Kaiba was unusually stumped and just told her to keep her guard up. Sonja didn't expect much more than this.

She returned home and placed a few calls out to some of the guests on the list. Because their two families were either A, dead or B, distant and never spoken of, the guest list was pretty skimpy. On Sonja's request, several of their old acquaintances had been added, including Mai, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Yugi, the Wheelers, Katia, and the Von Schroeder brothers Zigfried and Leon. Sonja had also sent invites to Ishizu and Marik, as well as their 'brother' Odeon, via email, since they wouldn't get there in time through snail mail. Sonja knew that the short guest list couldn't be helped. Both she and Kaiba were estranged from most of the people they worked with and he'd told her that his remaining family members were people he didn't care to speak to. She didn't know them, but she could see rather clearly that he wasn't thrilled at the idea of inviting them. She didn't care; she wasn't sure she wanted them there anyway.

"I think I've called about everyone now," she muttered, chewing on the end of her pen, "I still have to call Mai, but she probably already knows,"

She sighed, "I'm really tired. I think I'll call it here for today and get back to it tomorrow,"

The sound of the door opening paused her in the action of standing up. She glanced up and sighed, sitting back down, "Hey Angus," she said limply, "What's up?"

"Sonja," Angus said, his voice raspy, "I was hoping to have a word with you. It's about the guest list and my gift for you for your wedding,"

She frowned warily, but pushed her work aside and motioned him over, "So what's up, Angus?" she asked again, still not comfortable addressing him as her grandfather. Fortunately, Angus seemed to accept it easily enough.

He coughed once, reaching into the pocket of his worn coat to pull a leather-bound box out. He set it on the counter, his wrinkled old eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded to her, "This has been passed down through the women in our family. Unfortunately, I only had boys and it was forced to skip a generation. Had your dear mother survived, she'd have given it to you instead. Go ahead, open it,"

Sonja eyed the box warily as she pulled it closer, unsnapping the latch and opening the lid. Her breath hitched in amazement at what she saw; "Oh," she breathed.

It was a choker necklace made of pearl-colored velvet with a dragonfly pendant. The dragonfly's body was composed of miniscule pink diamonds, its eyes threaded with emeralds, and its sinewy wings comprising of brilliant blue sapphires. Each gem was tiny enough that the article didn't seem gaudy, the colors melding together beautifully. She lifted it out of the case in awe, looking over at Angus in disbelief, "But I can't accept this; it's too precious," she said.

"My dear," he said quietly, "You've rightfully inherited this necklace. All the brides in our family have worn it since before your great-grandmother's time. This is my present to you, as your grandfather, for your wedding. It's supposed to bring luck. You can see that it more than likely works," he said with a cheerful chuckle. Sonja's eyes took on a faraway glaze as she gazed down at the necklace held delicately in her hand. She smiled softly, "I see," she whispered, "Thanks, Angus,"

She allowed him to take the necklace and move behind her, lifting her hair away from her neck as he carefully latched it in place at her throat. He stepped back as she turned around. His eyes crinkled shut as he beamed, "Lovely," he said happily, "Just lovely,"

He squeezed her hand gently, "If only your mother could see how beautiful you've become, Sonja. I'm sure she'd be proud of you,"

Sonja looked away with a sad smile, "Yeah, I like to think she might be," she answered.

/ooo/

Yugi stood up against the outside of the card shop, sorting through his deck aimlessly as a way to keep his hands busy. He'd been called from his houe unexpectedly that morning by a rather unusual visitor. Honestly, he'd been more than a little surprised when he saw who his grandfather had allowed into the house. He was even more surprised when he learned his visitor wished to speak to him in private. It was early evening, so Yugi had suggested they go outside to talk. Now he stood waiting patiently as he glanced up at the man standing a few feet away, wondering when he was going to say something. He cleared his throat, "So uh, what'd you want to talk to me about, Kaiba?" he asked.

However, Kaiba remained oddly silent. He was staring ahead blankly. Now and then, a noise would startle him back to reality, but it didn't last long. Yugi was growing a little bit concerned. Kaiba was acting almost jumpy about something. He couldn't be sure what, but he was willing to bet that it had something to do with his upcoming wedding. After all, it was now only a few weeks away. Time had flown by without them all really noticing. Of everyone who had spent the last half-decade knowing Kaiba, Yugi figured that aside from Mokuba and Sonja, he probably knew him the best. Kaiba was a very determined, ambitious man who rarely opened up to anyone about anything. Yugi was well aware of this. However he also knew that deep down, Kaiba had probably wanted to be more open with people, but could never quite figure out how. He never seemed to get the knack for it, either coming across too strong and sounding obnoxious and rude, or too lightly and ending up quiet and reserved. This was why he could only assume that his odd behavior was due to the approaching event. Yugi found himself completely sure of it; Kaiba was indeed nervous and probably wanting to just talk to someone.

"Your grandfather seems to be doing well," Kaiba muttered suddenly, surprising Yugi.

"Yeah, he is," Yugi answered, "He certainly wasn't expecting to see you on our doorstep. You might have scared five years out of him,"

Kaiba smirked slightly, almost wryly, but it was gone quickly. He seemed absent again, as if his mind were miles away. Yugi frowned; casual pleasantries were _not_ Kaiba's style at all. Normally he jumped straight to the point of the matter. He seemed evasive today, as if he were having trouble deciding where to start.

"Kaiba, is something bugging you?" Yugi asked again, "I know you and I were never best friends or anything, but I like to think that after all this time, you've learned you could talk to me if you needed to,"

"I'm aware of that," Kaiba said quietly. Yugi was surprised. He'd expected Kaiba to snap at him like he usually did.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were nervous about something," Yugi commented dryly.

Kaiba sighed heavily, "For once, you might be right. If only a bit, anyway. However, that isn't the issue at hand,"

He turned fully, looking at him seriously, "Look, I've never been one to beat around the bush, so I'm just going to say it,"

However, even after declaring this, it still took him a few minutes to get it together enough to actually speak his mind. He sighed again, "Yugi, I'd like you to be my best man at the wedding," he said finally.

Yugi blinked a few times, wondering if he'd heard that properly. Deciding that he had and that he shouldn't make Kaiba repeat himself when he'd had a hard enough time saying it once, he answered hesitantly, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Kaiba replied.

"What about Mokuba?"

"I asked him; he refused to do it for some reason,"

Yugi hummed, "So then why me?" he asked curiously.

"As you said, Yugi, we're not best friends; we're barely acquaintances. However, since Mokuba won't do it, I can't think of someone I'd rather have there,"

The way he said it, anyone other than Yugi might have taken offense. However, the younger duelist simply smiled, "Sure, I'd be honored," he replied.

It was almost funny how relieved Kaiba appeared for a millisecond before reverting back to his normal stoic expression.

"So then," Yugi said, changing the subject slightly, "Are you prepared?"

Kaiba frowned, looking away, "I honestly don't know," he answered, "This was one field of expertise my stepfather never taught me," he mumbled, mostly to himself. Realizing he'd spoken that aloud, his expression warped slightly. He sighed heavily, giving up, "Anything I say stays here, you got that?" he growled.

"Of course," Yugi replied, "And it's fine, Kaiba. So what if you're nervous? I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be,"

"I shouldn't be," he said stubbornly, "I _don't_ get nervous,"

"There's a first time for everything, Kaiba," Yugi said with a shrug, "Or in this case, several things. It's a life-changing thing. No one would fault you for getting anxious,"

"I can think of a few," he grumbled. Yugi chuckled, "I'm assuming Joey's on that list, then?" he ventured jokingly, earning a savage glare. He shook his head, "Believe it or not, Kaiba, I doubt that Joey would give you a hard time about this one. I'm aware he's annoyed you in the past about various matters, but this time is different. This time, you've willingly decided to change your life dramatically by sharing it with another. That's something that even he can respect,"

Kaiba stared at him a moment, processing what he'd just heard. Knowing nothing but grief from Joey all these years, Kaiba was a little leery knowing that Sonja had more than likely invited him. Sonja had seemed extremely excited to invite these people and he wanted to respect her wishes on the matter, but he couldn't let it go so easily.

"Tea told me you've put Sonja in charge of the guests," Yugi pointed out, startling Kaiba badly. He looked away, "Yeah. I figured it couldn't hurt and she was right; there won't be very many,"

"Why not?"

Kaiba just scowled, not meeting his gaze, "She pointed out an interesting fact recently. Most of the people I know are enemies. You and your little ragtag group of pals are just a few who don't outright hate me these days,"

"It's taken a lot of work on my part, Kaiba," Yugi boasted jokingly. To this, Kaiba had to smile just a little bit, wryly thinking that Yugi was entirely correct. He sighed, "Always the peacemaker," he muttered.

"Someone had to be since you were always willing to reignite arguments,"

"Point taken," Kaiba grumbled, "I have to get going. Later,"

He turned, heading off. He got about eight or nine feet away before pausing. He glanced back at Yugi warily, eyes narrowed. He turned halfway, stopped and then sighed again, "Thanks," he said quickly before leaving abruptly.

Yugi headed inside, hoping that he'd been able to calm him down, if only a little. He was glad he understood Kaiba's jargon. That simple word as he hurried off told Yugi a bit more than what it implied. In the way it was said, not harshly, not coldly, just...simply, Yugi knew that maybe, just maybe, Kaiba had started to open up to the idea that this so-called 'ragtag group of pals' were now his friends.

/ooo/

That night, Kaiba stopped by the apartment to talk with Sonja about the arrangements. He was also curious about this so-called 'grandfather' of hers who'd showed up literally out of nowhere. As he turned onto the street she lived on, it hit him suddenly that this was one of the last times he'd ever drive over to the shop to see her. Even though the wedding was now only a few weeks away, it still hit him once in a while that his life was very soon to change. He brought the car to a stop at the curb, shutting the engine off and stalling. It was true, though he'd only admit it to himself. He was indeed nervous. Yugi was right after all; he'd never done anything like this.

He shook his head, regaining his composure. He got out of the car, taking with him the folder of information given to him by the planner he'd hired. He'd managed to find someone willing to keep the entire affair as quiet as possible for not _too_ much extra. After the media scare almost six months ago, he knew that both he and Sonja wanted it quiet. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to make a big deal out of this. All he wanted was a quiet ceremony with the scant number of people they could actually invite safely, and the knowledge that for the first time, the girl he knew he'd fallen in love with would soon become his wife. Compared to other ambitions in his life, he didn't see this as too much to ask for.

Sonja must have heard the car door slamming because he looked up to see her standing halfway down on the steps, her long hair done up in a shimmering braid over her shoulder. She looked tired, but happy to see him as she approached, smiling wearily, "Hey Seto," she said, "What's up?"

"Long day?" he ventured.

"Yeah. I'm doing all the flowers for the wedding, so I've been pouring through catalogs all day, trying to find good ones,"

She motioned with her head over to the shop, "Lets' go in there to talk. It's kind of hectic upstairs right now,"

She unlocked the door and he followed her inside. The sound of footsteps hurrying all over the place could be heard above them. Sonja watched the ceiling a moment and sighed, "Angus has everyone learning how to cook since I won't be there much longer. Actually, the only reason I was able to come down here without anyone noticing was thanks to Arika covering for me,"

She headed into the back storage area and switched on the ceiling light. The bulb wasn't strong, so the room was a bit dull from the weak light. However, Kaiba could see in the coolers all the flower arrangements she'd put together already. He'd seen her do some impressive work before, but this layout made him pause and stare. In the cooler closest to him, he could see an arrangement of roses outlined in various greenery, wrapped tightly in white plastic and tied with flowing scarlet ribbons.

"I've asked Serenity and Tea to be my bridesmaids," Sonja explained, "And Mai is my maid of honor. Those bouquets are for them,"

"Will they keep that long?"

"They should, provided no one messes with them beforehand," Sonja said. She pulled a couple of chairs and a folding table from against the wall, "Here, sit down,"

Kaiba moved over and took one of the chairs she'd offered him, placing the folder on the table and glancing over at her as she sat down. She noticed him staring, "What?"

"Nothing,"

Sonja blinked and then shrugged, "It's kind of surreal, isn't it? Just a few more weeks to go. Are you all prepared?"

"I was just asked that earlier today, actually," he said thoughtfully, "I like to believe I am. You?"

She smiled weakly. He could see her hands shaking and immediately knew that he wasn't the only one nervous.

"Sure," she said, "I have most everything in order. I've also starting packing things I don't need right away,"

Kaiba opened the folder, "That reminds me," he said, "Neither one of us have had time to search, so I pulled up a few possibilities for you to see,"

He slid the papers and photos over to her for her to look at. Sonja scanned through them slowly, eyes widening as she realized what she was looking at, "This is for the house, isn't it?"

He looked away, slightly uncomfortable, "Yes. To simplify things, I found these in-depth photographs for you. If you see something about them that's appealing, we'll go take a look at it in the next day or two,"

Sonja examined each of the photographs of the different houses he'd found. Her expressions wavered, sometimes amazed, sometimes downcast. Kaiba was having a hard time reading her while she looked through them. She blinked slowly, "They're expensive, Seto. I mean, they're not far from here, maybe three or four miles at most, which is understandable given our work, but still—"

While she spoke, not really paying attention, he started to reach toward her, hesitated and then grabbed her hand, shushing her. He stared hard at her, refusing to let even an ounce of his own anxiety creep into his eyes. She was nervous enough as it was; knowing he was in the same state would only make it worse.

"Sonja, I don't care about that. This will be something we both decide on. Aside from that, it'll be my job to take care of you, like I promised Damon,"

He laid down the bait, knowing she'd take it.

She took it. Her eyes flamed slightly, "Don't say it like that, Seto. I'm going to help, too. Like you said, this is something we'll both decide,"

He smirked just a little bit. Fortunately, her slight naivety was one of the charming things about her. After knowing him this long, you'd think she'd realize when he was saying something stupid on purpose just to get her riled up. In any event, she wasn't as nervous as before. He browsed through the files on his own while she searched the other half. Every now and then, one of them would point something out about one of the houses listed, only for some common factoid to shoot it down, such as distance or, as Sonja continued to insist, pricing. Kaiba honestly wasn't too worried about pricing, but he knew that Sonja was conservative in more ways than one.

Finally, there were only three folders left. Sonja pulled one over to her and opened it up, scanning through it. She frowned, "Seto, what about this one?" she asked, sliding it over to him, "It's only a mile from here along the coastline,"

He took the file, looking at it closely. She was right; it was only a ten minute drive at best. Also, he saw that the house, while nice, wasn't too expensive at all. He hummed thoughtfully, "What do you think of it, Sonja?"

To his surprise, she actually blushed slightly and shrunk down a bit, not looking at him, "I like it a lot," she said in a small voice, "I really like that it's close to the water. And it's not far from here, so the commute is easy for both of us. What do you think of it?"

Adorable. One word Kaiba never once thought would become part of his vast vocabulary had just been added. She looked so cute shyly admitting she liked the house that it took him a second to realize he couldn't find any negative points with it. He went over the figures, the condition of the house and the finer details. It wasn't too large, a little smaller than the one he and Mokuba currently lived in. It was a two story situated along the northern bluff of Domino city, close enough that the city itself could be seen from it. There were steps out back that led straight down to the water which could be seen from the back. It was simple in design, yet elegant. It was also situated by itself along the road running beside it. There were other houses in the wide angle shot, but they were a good distance away. Since they were doing everything they could to avoid more media attention, Kaiba found the solitude appealing, at least until the public got bored with them.

He smiled slightly, looking up at her, "I see nothing wrong with it," he announced, closing the file and setting it aside from the others. He watched as her face lit up in excitement, "You like it? Really?"

He nodded once, "Yeah," he said quietly, "Why don't we go look at it tomorrow? We can know for sure this way,"

Sonja smiled, "Sure. Sounds good,"

She got up and moved her chair closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder and opening the file again to read more. Kaiba, having already read it through, watched her out of the corner of his eye. In truth, he didn't care much about what the house looked like, where it was or how much it cost. Seeing her so excited over something so simple was what clinched the deal for him. He shifted his arm, wrapping it over her shoulders as he rested his head against hers, enjoying the scent of lavender coming off her hair. All the noise and clamor from upstairs didn't bother him much. He listened as now and then Sonja would point out something interesting about the house, such as how much room there would be for a garden and how the floor-plan showed a spacious room he could use for his study. After so many years spent creating all kinds of insane ideas and publicity stunts like Battle City, he was glad he'd finally discovered how nice the occasional peaceful moment could be. He supposed he owed it to her.

True, now that he thought about it; he owed Sonja quite a bit for all the good she'd brought into his life.

A/N: Okay, since I don't even know how long it's been since my last update, I'm just going to say one thing; I cannot even begin to apologize. To you, my readers, to Sonja, my character, to Cauryn for whatever I might have done...seriously. However, I've finally gotten back on track with the story. I actually put all of my fanfictions on hold so I could concentrate on my novels of my own work. That's all fine and good, but I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to do both, so I'm going to try. There is no excuse for my lateness and I sincerely apologize.


	22. Milestones

A/N: To make up for almost a year or so of not updating, here is the next chapter with a bit of fluff-ish material. Well, I had a warm feeling while writing it, so to me it's fluff.

Milestones

"Ouch! Serenity, watch where you're sticking those things!"

Sonja shifted awkwardly in the nearly-completed dress as Serenity stabbed her—yet again—with a pin. She mumbled something incoherent through the pins in her mouth and resumed working. Sonja sighed heavily as she stared at the wall, counting paint dots out of boredom. Serenity refused to let her outright look at the dress, but she required Sonja's presence modeling it in order to finish it in time. Sonja was forcibly blindfolded by Mai and Tea otherwise until the dress could be put on her and put away.

Serenity spat the pins out and giggled, "Sorry Sonja, I didn't mean to stick you," she said. Sonja shot her a glare, "Sure, and the other six times don't count because...?"

"What's the matter, Sonja? Nerves getting to you?" Mai ventured as she sat across the room with Tea.

"Not really," Sonja admitted, "I mean, sure I'm still antsy, but I'm doing okay. I mean, it's only another week. I guess I'm just tired because I'm expecting the first of the guests to arrive this evening. I finally got Daichi to start moving his and Arika's things to their new apartment so I'll have room to put these guys up for a little while if they want to,"

"Who is it?" Tea asked, "You said the guest list is pretty short, so is it someone close by?"

"Not really," Sonja said again, wincing as Serenity jabbed her once more, "It's Marik and his family,"

Tea and Mai both froze slightly, casting wary glances at each other. Mai raised an eyebrow, "So remind me again why you invited him?"

Sonja sighed, "I already told you two, Marik and I have been penpals for over two years, now. They're coming out early because Ishizu has some work to do at the museum with a colleague as it is, so they're killing two birds with one stone,"

Tea groaned, "Great. Are you sure about this?"

Sonja rolled her eyes, "I know how you guys feel, I really do. However, I really think it'll be okay. He seemed excited to come back out and see everyone,"

Serenity brushed her arm across her brow and heaved a deep breath as she stood up, "There. Most everything's pretty much done. Just a few minor touch-ups and it'll be ready to go," she said, "Oh Mai, time to blind her again, if you don't mind,"

Sonja waved her off, "Come on, I won't look," she complained, knowing it was futile as Mai covered her eyes and Serenity removed the gown from her. Sonja turned her back on them as she hastily dressed again, waiting until she heard the sound of the closet door clicking shut, signaling that the dress was safely tucked away. Sonja turned around; there was no sign of it.

Mai clapped her hands, "Well then, how about we all go get some lunch and have some serious girl talk. After all, _one_ of us won't have time to do that before too long," she said with a wink in Sonja's direction.

Despite not being particularly hungry, Sonja opted to join them for the fun of it. They went to Lonnie's which was just down the street and asked for a booth inside since the sky was darkening. Mai and Tea decided to split the sandwich platter while Serenity and Sonja, both having eaten beforehand, each ordered a soda.

"So then," Mai said once they'd placed their orders, "I heard you guys decided on a house,"

Sonja choked on her water, "Where'd you hear that?"

"Never underestimate the social grapevine, hon," she said. Translation: Sophie must have snooped through the folder in the shop and jumped to conclusions.

"Well, yeah, I guess we have," Sonja answered, uncomfortable with the attention heaped on her, "It's about a mile from here along the coast. We both liked it; good commute, pricing wasn't bad, I'll have enough space for a garden, that sort of thing,"

"That's so cute," Tea gushed.

"I hope there's enough space," Mai said thoughtfully, "Because you're probably going to need it before too long,"

Sonja plunked her head down on the table with a groan while Serenity watched them back and forth, "What's she talking about? Are you expecting company, Sonja?" she said innocently. Sonja, Tea, and Mai all stared at her in bewilderment. Mai sighed, "I'd expect that sort of naivety from your sister, Sonja, but not from Serenity,"

"What? Did I say something weird again?" Serenity asked, honestly confused. Sonja smiled wryly and tapped her shoulder, "Never mind," she said, "If we went into details, your brother would probably kill us,"

Tea cleared her throat, ending the awkward silence, "So um, any plans for the big trip then?" she asked.

Sonja looked away uncomfortably, "Um, no, not really. Neither of us have really thought about it. The thing is, we might not get to go. Both of our schedules are really busy around that time. It might just be a business trip squeezed into the line-up,"

Mai's jaw dropped, "No freaking way," she growled, "A business trip does not equate to the all-important honeymoon, Sonja. Seriously, what's that idiot thinking?" she covered her eyes with her hand.

"It can't really be helped. Whether he likes it or not, I fully intend to help him with work once we're married and I'll have more excuses to bug him about it," Sonja said, chuckling, "He never lets me help, so this'll keep him from making up more reasons not to let me,"

"It still ain't right," Mai grumbled, "Maybe I'll have to have a talk with that idiot,"

"I wish you luck," Sonja said solemnly, blessing the table with one hand to her forehead.

"Funny girl," Mai snapped playfully.

Once the talk of the wedding and related matters finally died down, Sonja enjoyed listening to the girls ramble about current events in their lives. Serenity confessed to agreeing to meeting Tristan for a soccer rally the following weekend and was wondering how to let Joey in on the secret. Mai announced her plans to join a high-profile tournament in the upcoming weeks and Tea regaled them of stories of her fellow dancers in the studio she was a part of. All in all, it was an enjoyable afternoon and Sonja was able to completely forget her nerves for a few hours, even when the conversation occasionally drifted back to her wedding. Mai happened to ask about the bridesmaid situation regarding her own selection as maid of honor and where Sophie fit into all of this.

"For some reason, she refused to do it," Sonja admitted, "I talked to Seto and he said Mokuba told him the same thing when he asked him to be his best man,"

"Huh?" Tea exclaimed incredulously, "No way, Mokuba refused?"

"Yeah," Sonja answered, "Seto told me he ended up asking Yugi to do it. Neither of us can figure out why they refused to,"

"That is a little strange," Serenity pointed out, "You'd think they'd jump at the chance,"

Mai hummed, "In any case, it is cute that Yugi agreed to do it instead. For some reason, I can totally believe that Kaiba would ask him,"

"If you see him though, keep quiet about it," Sonja warned, "He was awkward enough just telling _me_ about it,"

"Don't worry, Sonja, our lips are sealed," Mai said with a wink, "Besides, it's not like he can keep it a secret for long, anyway. Much like a few other things I suspect will come into play eventually,"

Sonja shot her a stern glare, "One more word out of you and you're taking the checks, Mai," she grumbled.

Mai blinked in surprise and sighed heavily, "No sense of humor, Sonja,"

Sonja chuckled and shrugged.

/ooo/

It was close to a week until the big day. It had seemed long on paper, but now it was growing closer and closer at a quicker pace, it seemed. Most all of the arrangements were taken care of by this point. Sonja knew there wasn't much left to do. Serenity was just about finished with the dress and Sonja was needed less frequently at the studio above her shop for fittings. She'd already started working on the paperwork necessary to leave the shop in Sophie's care once she left the apartment. Only a few details remained to be addressed.

One of which was in the process of finalization.

She sat in silence in the front seat of the car as Kaiba drove, equally quiet. The day to go and take a look at the house had been pushed back a few times. Now, he'd finally worked a break into his schedule and had showed up quite suddenly to pick her up. Although Sandra was still a little evasive, she'd taken control of the shop for the time being and wished Sonja luck.

Neither of them really spoke. The silence wasn't awkward, but the slight tension was very tangible. Sonja, fidgeting with the hem of her coat, finally broke the silence, "I'm looking forward to seeing it. Is someone going to meet us there?"

"No," he answered, "I got the key. We can take a look by ourselves. It's less frustrating this way,"

"I see," she replied.

As expected, the drive wasn't long at all. In fact, not fifteen minutes after he'd picked her up, they'd come to a stop outside by the curb. It was a fairly desolate road, curving off against the hillside in the continuing direction. Sonja could see the hints of rooftops further down in the opposite direction, but for the most part, the house stood by itself. She got out and shut the door, looking around curiously.

"It's quiet," she stated, "I can actually hear the water from here,"

"That's good, then," he answered, heading toward the place, "Less noise, less interruption, less attention,"

Sonja followed after him. He made his way around the grounds, casting studious glances at the state of appearances. Everything seemed to be in order. The grass was maintained, the bushes around the house well-trimmed and he could even spot the makings of what appeared to be a flower bed on one side. He motioned her over and gestured down to it, "What do you think?"

Sonja's face lit up and she knelt down, examining the plot, "It's perfect," she exclaimed, "It's just the right size and everything. All it needs is some soil and fertilizer and it's good to go,"

She stood up again and smiled, "Well, shall we look at the inside, then?"

As it turned out, getting inside was a bit trickier. The key was poorly made and it took quite a bit of tinkering with the lock to finally get it open. Kaiba all but tore the key off the ring in frustration and heaved a heavy sigh, "Remind me to take care of that soon," he grumbled.

"Well, shouldn't it depend on whether or not we like the place?"

Kaiba threw her a strange look, one that almost seemed to say that he pretty much considered it a done deal. Sonja smiled slightly and followed him in, glancing around her as she did. The space inside wasn't overly showy. It was downright simple in taste, but held a very sophisticated air. There was a hearth on one end of the room consisting of shale bricks laid flat on top of one another and reached to the ceiling. A sliding glass door led out onto a small wood deck with stairs heading down below. Most of the front room was built the same way her apartment was; a living area melding into a kitchen area on the right side before a narrow hallway appeared. Sonja wandered down the hallway, stopping at the first of three doors. She opened it slowly, revealing a small space about the size of her bedroom at home. It contained a large picture window facing out toward the water and several finely carved bookcases built into the wall. The wood floor matched the cases and reflected the orange glow of the setting sun with a beautiful sheen. Sonja hummed slightly and jumped badly when she felt him sneak up behind her, his hand grasping her shoulder. She whirled, "Don't do that!" she exclaimed before sighing, "I think I found your study," she said, chuckling.

"You might be right. I do like this room. It has a nice air to it,"

He watched as she wandered further down the hall, opening another door to reveal a bathroom inside. She kept going, finding the third room and moving inside, vanishing from view. He followed slowly, more mindful of how little or much noise he made so as not to startle her again. He found her as she slid a closet door open, peering inside and humming again, "It's nice," she commented, "I think this is the master bedroom,"

Much like the living area outside the room, this one was built the same way with a large window overlooking the water and short white carpet adorning the floor. Sonja moved to stare out the window. Kaiba approached slowly, watching her quietly, "There's still a few rooms to explore," he pointed out.

"I know. I like the view here. You can see the Domino harbor from here. I really like it, Seto,"

She shifted to stand beside him, touching his arm lightly, "So what do you think?"

He stared at her a moment, eyes narrowed in thought. He brought her left hand up, running his thumb over the ring absently. He smiled slightly, "I have no problems with it," he muttered.

"So it's a yes, then?" she ventured.

"Yeah,"

Sonja moved closer and wrapped her arms around him with a sigh, "You know, it's kinda weird. In a little over a week, I'll be living with you permanently. It's still kind of sinking in,"

"Yeah," he said, "I know what you mean,"

She pulled away, looking up at him, "Also, I always feel like you're always doing things for me. I'd like you to ask me if you ever need anything, okay? You know, to even things out?"

"You don't ask for very much, Sonja,"

"Still," she started to say, but he cut her off. He leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to hers, slowly, but briefly and pulled away with a serious look in his eyes, "We can sort that out later," he said.

Sonja shook her head and sighed, "Fine, you win for now," she conceded, "But don't expect this argument to fade away, Seto,"

He smirked as he turned away, "I wouldn't dream of it,"

They checked out the rest of the house from there, discovering three more rooms in the other hallway opposite the first one. Each of them was moderately sized and the carpeting soft white like the other room. One of them had a closet with a fold-down ladder leading up into the attic. Sonja briefly explored this attic room, only to beat a hasty retreat at the sight of a spider the size of a golf ball. Unfortunately, Kaiba found this quite amusing, much to her chagrin. However, Kaiba noticed that after leaving that wing of the house, Sonja seemed a little irked about something. Upon questioning, Sonja hastily answered that it was nothing. Kaiba knew better than to pry it out of her and wisely chose to say nothing more on the matter.

A couple of hours had passed and they decided it was time to go. Sonja said she still had things to do back home in preparation. The drive back into the city was quiet. Sonja gazed out the window, lost in her own thoughts. She cast a quick glance at him. He didn't appear to notice. He too seemed lost in thought. Sonja quickly turned away. Remembering what he'd done back there was a little bit embarrassing, especially since it seemed out of character for him. Then again, he'd been acting more open with her nowadays. Perhaps it was his way of showing her that he trusted her completely now. She smiled a little at the memory and faced forward, "I'm still kind of excited about this whole thing," she admitted, "It's getting hard to distinguish the nerves from the butterflies,"

Kaiba glanced at her briefly as he drove, "I have to admit, this is a rather different experience," he said ponderously, "However...it's not a bad one,"

Sonja hummed, gazing ahead of her. She jumped suddenly when she felt his hand on her own, glancing down at it. He wasn't looking at her, but the action was calming. Sonja was grateful for this even. While she was finally sure of his feelings for her, she knew that he would never be comfortable showing them in public. While they were alone, he would open up a bit more, show her the side of him that she knew only existed for her. However, in crowds or in public, she was usually regarded with a stiff attitude and mild indifference. It didn't bother her. She knew that he had to keep up appearances while working. It meant that she could be comforted with the fact that even when he couldn't outright say it, she would always be special to him. With this in mind, she clasped her hand around his and turned to the window.

/ooo/

It was just two days to go. Sonja and Mai waited impatiently in the studio of Serenity's shop on the second floor. Sonja kept fidgeting, playing with her hair, picking at her nails (to which Mai would always lightly smack her hands away) or tapping her foot. Serenity was behind a curtain installed on a track in the ceiling. They could see her outline and the outline of the dress form with the gown on it. Serenity was adding the finishing touches to the dress and humming happily as she did.

"I can't wait," she exclaimed, "This is gonna be so cute. Even my brother is excited,"

"She's actually right," Mai said, "I spoke with Joey yesterday and he couldn't stop talking about it. So, how many guests are there going to be?"

Sonja counted on her fingers for a moment, "...hmm...lets' see...around twenty five," she said, "So it's not too bad. These people are all friends,"

Mai chuckled, "That idiot probably never guessed he'd have this many people who he could at least tentatively call his friends," she remarked.

"Mai, cut it out. Don't rank on him like that," Sonja grumbled.

Mai eyed her in amazement and disbelief, "Now I _know_ you're in love with him; you're the only person who would willingly stand up for him!" she exclaimed, bursting out in boisterous laughter. Sonja went red and looked down in embarrassment.

Serenity popped her head around the curtain suddenly, beaming, "It's done!" she chimed, "Wanna try it on, Sonja?"

Sonja moved toward her, heading behind the curtain. Mai waited while Serenity helped her get the dress on, adjusting straps here and there. Sonja muttered a few things about pins still being stuck inside the fabric to which Serenity continued to apologize for. Finally, the younger girl came out from behind the curtain and nodded to Mai, who stood up. She pulled the curtain back on the track. Mai's eyes went wide and she drew a breath, "Woah," she muttered.

Sonja stood beside the dressmaker's dummy, adjusting her sleeves. The dress was a thin strapped straight collar and a smooth, flowing cream colored gown that wasn't fluffy like some, but didn't form-fit either. There was a beautiful silver sash sewn into the waist that trailed down elegantly along the front. She wore bell-sleeves disconnected from the at the shoulder, crafted from the same cream fabric and hemmed with thin silver edging. Around her shoulders, she wore a short shawl fastened at the collarbone with a small silver brooch in the shape of a rose. She noticed them staring and let her arms drop, watching them expectantly, "W-Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"It's beautiful...in a weird medieval sort of way," Mai answered, "Serenity?"

"I did a lot of my work based on old renaissance dresses," the girl replied, "I added a more modern touch with the shawl and the straps, as well as the sash. Since her hair and skin are both pale, I didn't want to make it all out of white,"

Sonja seemed a bit downcast, "It doesn't look good, Mai?" she said quietly.

"No, no, nononono," Mai said quickly, hurrying over and grasping her shoulders, "Hon, it looks amazing on you,"

"You're sure? I don't want it to look weird," Sonja said hesitantly, mindful that the dress's maker was still in the room. Mai giggled and lightly knocked her fist against Sonja's forehead, "It's so _cute _that you want to look good for him," she squealed, "Sonja, if anything, this proves that you're too good for that idiot,"

Sonja's eyes flared, "Hey, don't say that! He's done a lot for me, more than _I_ deserve that's for sure,"

"Don't get so defensive, sheesh. Anyway, Serenity, is it all set to go?"

"Yeah," she replied, "I'll bring it over to the apartment on the big day. Sonja, all set?"

"I guess," Sonja said, turning so Mai could help with the zipper, "I just hope it looks okay. Nothing against your methods, Serenity. I'm only saying that your design ideas can be a little odd sometimes,"

Serenity frowned, "You know, I get that a lot,"

/ooo/

Sonja managed to talk Kaiba into driving her to the airport to meet The Ishtar family once she'd received word that they were finally flying in. Their original flight had been delayed due to bad weather and were forced to arrive two days later than planned. It was now just one day until the big event. Sonja stood outside the airport with Kaiba beside another rented van that Roland was driving. Kaiba didn't look thrilled to be there, but kept his mouth shut. Well, at least until Sonja noticed and nudged him, "Please try to be agreeable. He's been speaking very highly of you,"

Kaiba had brought up their experiences with Marik several times now. He knew that to bring it up again would more than likely anger her. Besides, he had to admit, when they'd seen Marik the most recent time in Egypt, he had changed quite a lot from Battle City. Still, he couldn't seem to suppress his wariness, particularly where Sonja was concerned.

Sonja suddenly took off and hurried toward the doors. Kaiba rightly guessed she'd spotted them. Kaiba didn't seem shocked that they looked exactly the same as they had when he'd seen them in Egypt. Understandably, they no longer had to wear the traditional garb of the tombkeepers, so in all actuality, they appeared quite normal.

"Marik, over here!" Sonja called. The young man turned at the sound of his name and grinned, "Sonja, there you are," he said happily, enveloping her in a friendly hug, "It's been a while now. You look well,"

"Thanks. So do you. Hi Ishizu, Odeon," she greeted.

The other two both nodded their greetings and Ishizu smiled, "It's good to see you again. Thank you for meeting us here,"

"Thank you for coming out," Sonja replied, "It means a lot,"

"Are you here alone?" Odeon asked.

"No," Sonja said, shaking her head, "Seto and Roland came out here with me. They're over there," she gestured over to the door. Kaiba could be seen out there facing partially away from the door watching planes take off.

"Did you get my last email?" Marik asked her.

"Which one?"

"I said in this one that our visit will have to be cut shorter because of the delayed flights we had. We can only stay for three days. Ishizu will have to head to the museum straight after the ceremony,"

Sonja sighed, "Well, can't be helped I suppose. I'm sorry it's rushing you guys so much,"

Ishizu shook her head, "No, of course not. We changed the plans to work everything in while we were on the plane. It shouldn't be a problem, now,"

While they were talking, she led them back to the rental van that would take them to Domino city. Kaiba was leaning against it with his arms folded, looking a little less angry and a little more peeved than anything else. Sonja decided she'd ask him about it later. For now, she smiled gratefully at him, watching as he eyed her distastefully and sighed, shaking his head.

"Thanks again for picking us up," Marik said to Sonja, "It was too short notice to arrange anything else,"

"Sure. Where are you guys going to?" Sonja asked.

"We found a hotel to stay at for the next couple of days," he answered as he and the others climbed into the seats. Marik and Odeon sat in the very back while Sonja and Ishizu took the middle row. Kaiba took a very quiet shotgun, stubbornly refusing to look back. Sonja shook her head and sighed heavily.

Throughout the ride back, Marik showed her photos of old artifacts Ishizu's team had dug up. He was still in school and was working as an intern on her team, helping with the excavation whenever he could. Sonja found the photos fascinating, asking all kinds of questions about the origins of the objects. She passed a few of them to Kaiba, trying to include him in the conversation. Kaiba always took them, looked through them for an extended period of time and then handed them back without a word. He always failed to notice the disappointed look flash across her face as he did, but she hid it quickly.

They dropped Ishizu off at the museum; she claimed she had to get straight to work if she wished to stay for the better part of the ceremony. She said that the professor she was working with owed her a favor and would probably give her a ride back to the hotel. From there, they dropped Marik and Odeon off a few blocks away. Sonja got out for a moment to speak with Marik out of earshot; "I'm really sorry about this," she said.

Marik frowned, "About what?"

"Well, Seto hasn't been the most sociable tonight. I mean, he isn't really to begin with, but he seems particularly bad right now," she said with an uncomfortable glance toward the van. Marik chuckled, "In my opinion, he's treated me in better regard than in the last five years he's known of my existence," he said, laughing. He clapped her lightly on the shoulder, "And again, thank you for allowing us to stay connected with everyone here. It means a lot,"

Sonja shrugged, "Well, thank _you_ for asking if you could stay in touch with the one person who didn't get to see your dark side," she said jokingly. Marik sighed and looked away, "Well, I guess we'd better get inside. Take care, Sonja. We'll see you real soon,"

"Yeah, you too,"

Sonja climbed back inside the van and shut the door. Roland pulled away from the curb and onto the street, "Where to now, then?" he asked.

"Back to the office," Kaiba said flatly, "I can give Sonja a ride home later,"

Sonja winced slightly. She wasn't sure why, but he was ticked about something. She leaned back against the seat, staring out the window. It wasn't too late and she knew Damon and Angus were probably still teaching the others how to cook. That meant she didn't need to for a little while.

Once having arrived at the headquarters building, Roland left to drive the van back to the rental agency. Kaiba then proceeded inside while Sonja hurried after him. Ursula was already gone for the day, as were most of the office staff. Therefore, much of the trek to the top floor was spent in silence. The elevator was particularly awkward. Sonja stared at the floor the whole time, casting occasional glances at him every now and then.

Once they reached the top floor and made their way to the office, Sonja finally worked up the nerve to say something, "Um...Seto? Is everything okay?"

This was met with a somewhat cold stare that sent chills through her. Just what was he so mad about?

He opened the door to the office and stepped inside. Sonja followed cautiously and watched as he snatched the watering can off a floor-level shelf on the left side of the room. Her eyes followed him as he went around the room, giving each of the four potted plants a bit of water and then setting the can on his desk with a _thunk_ harder than he probably meant to. Sonja moved further inside the room, glancing over at him once as she reached out to examine the plant closest to her, "Do you water them every night or several times a day?" she asked.

"A night. I forget most of the time," he replied, sitting down at his desk and opening his computer. Sonja hummed and brushed her fingers against the fronds of the plant, "I'm not sure this one gets enough sunlight by being in the corner here," she pointed out, "You might want to consider moving them sometime,"

"...I'll do that," he said after a slight pause. He then started typing furiously, checking a folder lying beside him on the desk every so often. Sonja sighed and moved quietly over to stand beside him, reaching out to touch his shoulder, "Seto, are you going to tell me what's gotten you so upset?" she mumbled, "You hardly said a word the entire ride home. I know you don't like to socialize much, but you were kind of setting a new record, tonight,"

Kaiba's hands fell still on the keyboard and he sat back slightly, not looking at her. Sonja waited patiently.

"Is it because of them?" she asked after a little while, "Are you still leery about Marik?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

Sonja sighed lightly, "We've been writing back and forth for over two years, now," she said, "I mean, I—"

She stopped when Kaiba suddenly grabbed her hand still resting on his shoulder, turning slightly to look up at her with a weary expression on his face. Sonja blinked a couple of times, slightly surprised and a little fearful, "Seto?" she asked questioningly.

"Sonja," he finally said, "I've said it before; you didn't see what he was like. This goes not just for him, but most everyone else,"

Sonja realized it then; the reason for his awkwardly worse anti-social behavior. He wasn't just concerned about Marik given what his experience with him was. It was most everyone Sonja wanted to come to the wedding.

"It's the guests, isn't it?" she whispered.

"Your naivety is both your positive and negative point," he told her bluntly, "It's clear that you want to see the good in all these people. However, with some of them, I can't see any good in them and can't forgive what they've done,"

He glared toward the opposite wall, releasing her hand. Sonja sighed and then reached out, gently taking his face in her hands and lightly forcing him to look at her. She smiled sadly, "Well, you saw the good in me, didn't you?" she ventured, tilting her head slightly, "And you forgave me for all the times I probably made you hate me more than anything those first few months,"

"Sonja," he muttered.

"Also, I, along with all of these people who agreed to come, have also decided to see the good in you. They wouldn't come if they didn't see it. At some point or another, most of these people hated you with a passion, Seto. And now look; you and I are going to married in a very short time and almost all of those same people are coming to Domino city to be there for us on the big day. It's because they chose to look past your faults and see the glimpse of the real you that you only really show to me,"

She went a little bit red at her own words, "The real you who is gentle, caring, compassionate if not a little snarky while he's doing it, and most of all, the man who went through hell and back for my sake and still continues to put up with the after-effects to this day,"

As she said this, she gently laid her hand on his arm, the one she'd bitten during one of her night-terrors back in Japan. She squeezed his arm comfortingly and smiled, "I'm not asking you to forget the things some of these people have done to you, Seto. I'm just asking you to accept them as they are, here and now. It's like you always say, 'the past is over and we have to move forward. Don't look back'. Right?"

He smirked dryly, "Do I really always say that?"

"At least once a week,"

He sighed and shook his head, "How on earth are you able to get to me so easily?"

She shrugged, "The same way _you_ get to _me_, Seto,"

He looked away for a moment and then sighed again, "Lets' go," he said, standing up.

He shut the lights off, save for one as they left the room. The silence this time however wasn't awkward at all. In fact, the tension had lifted as well. As he pushed the button for the ground floor in the elevator, Sonja leaned up against him and closed her eyes, "Listen Seto, last thing I promise. The next time something is wrong, please don't try to hide it. Seeing you like that worries me. I'd be happy knowing you could be open with me,"

Kaiba's eyes took on a faraway gaze as he faced forward, the doors closing. He felt her fingers intertwine with his and squeezed her hand, "Fair enough, since I usually pry problems from you as well," he said wryly, "However, you have to promise you'll understand if I'm not as good at it as you are,"

She scowled at him a moment before chuckling, "Sure. I promise," she said.


	23. A New Family

A/N: This is it; the biggie. Well, one of them. I'll put the author's note here so as not to distract at the bottom of the chapter. This chapter is dedicated to Cauryn. We haven't spoken in a while, though I'm not sure why. I hope she's still reading this and knowing that none of this would be possible without her interference. The song insertion below was all her idea and believe me, it was a beast to write. But I think it turned out as perfect as perfect gets as far as keeping Kaiba in character goes. So please read, review and enjoy, basking in the comfort of knowing I'm back in the groove and plan to update regularly.

A New Family

Morning.

It was still early, but Sonja was already up. Wrapped in her blanket and sitting on the counter, she listened to the wild beating of her heart. This was it. The day was finally here. She couldn't tell if she was nervous or excited, but today was the day.

In just a few hours, she was getting married. Her mind kept going over the past, how she and Kaiba had first met and started out as bitter enemies. She'd never dreamed that five years later, she'd be preparing to marry him. The whole thing felt surreal. The butterflies in her stomach were getting stronger.

"Sonni?"

She turned at the sound of her nickname. It was Damon, still in his pajamas that she'd bought him. He smiled softly, coming over and hopping up to sit next to her on the counter, "Hey sweetheart, how are you?" he whispered into her hair as he kissed her head.

"I'm good, dad. Did you just wake up?"

"Nah. I've been awake for longer than you have. You know, you're going to need makeup if you don't get some sleep. Bags under your eyes don't make for a good wedding shot,"

Sonja shivered, "I know. I'm just so jittery. I mean, I had a hard time going to sleep knowing that last night and tomorrow night will be my last nights living in this apartment. I've lived here for five years, ever since Seto moved us here. Now I'm going to go live with him,"

Damon sighed, raising his gaze to the ceiling and smirking fondly, "When your mom and I finally got married, we couldn't really afford much. We rented out this tiny apartment that could barely hold the two of us. Henry and Maryann kept trying to give us money when we were troubled, but we never took it,"

"So what did you do?"

"Your mom went and got a job at a convenience store four days a week. I landed a job at a shipping firm. Both our paychecks combined paid for utilities, food, water, and rent. It was hard, but coming home to find her there waiting for me made it all worthwhile. Sure, once Sam came into the picture, it got a little harder. I started searching for better employment. I eventually found it in the trading company I worked with up until just a few years ago. It brought in enough money that your mom could stay home and take care of Sam when he was born,"

Sonja hummed, leaning back against his warmth as he stroked her hair, "So then what about Sophie and me?" she asked.

"Well, Sam was ten by that point. Your mom always wanted a little girl; we both did. But we could never afford to have another kid. At least not until we moved out of that apartment and into the townhouse. It's funny; the day we signed the lease forms, your mom pulled me aside and showed me her bankbook. It had a list of her savings built up inside. I asked her what those were for. She was giggling when she said she'd already put the down payment on a new crib with pink lacing and what-not. She dragged me to the store to see it. There was a sales associate there waiting for us and tagged onto the crib was a folder with three ultrasound images. That's when I found out about you," he said fondly, ruffling her hair. Sonja chuckled and sighed, "It must have been hard, dad,"

"Sometimes, sure. In your case, you and the kid are both financially stable, so costs won't likely be a problem. But I can guarantee there'll be other hardships waiting to take their places, Sonni. It helps that you and he get along so well,"

Sonja threw him a weird look, "That's the first I've heard you praising him," she teased. He sighed, his face serene, yet serious, "Well, I mean it. Though I may pick on him, Sonja, the truth of the matter is that I don't think you could've found a better man. He's got his flaws, but he's determined to protect you at any cost,"

Sonja nodded, "He's been that way for years. Every time something bad happens to me, he's always the first one there. He's the one who found you for me. The problem is that he's always doing things for me. I wish there was something I could do for him. The last thing I want for our marriage is to be dead wood,"

Damon started chuckling, the deep baritone in his voice reverberating through the kitchen as he sighed heavily, "You don't get it, huh sweetheart?"

"Get what?"

"You'll get it at some point. Believe me. The only reason I understand is because I felt the same way around your mother. She was always so competent, as a wife, a mother, a person, and just about every other way you can imagine. No matter what she did, she seemed to be perfect at it, no flaws, no hesitation, she'd get it done and get it done right. I was hopeless with you three when you were babies and she was always so patient with me, always encouraging me that yes, you three did in fact love me, despite the fact that I couldn't tell whether you were hungry or cranky. One time, I tried to give Sam a bath and ended up using shampoo for the dog we had at the time. That dumb mutt wouldn't leave Sam alone for days," he said, laughing at the memory. He sighed, "Your mom never once lost patience with me. I felt the same way you do, incompetent at everything in comparison and wondering how I could be of use to her. You have the same problem, only in reverse,"

Sonja scowled and Damon laughed, "I mean that your soon-to-be husband is very competent and capable, just as you are. You two are a very strong combination. Even so, you feel as if you're always leaning on him for support and wish to support him, right?"

Sonja nodded, staring at the counter top. Damon patted her back, "And believe me Sonja, that time will come. Who knows? You might find something you're good at that he could never compare to,"

Sonja's mouth twitched, threatening a smile. She reluctantly released it and sighed, "Thanks, dad," she mumbled. He enveloped her in a tight hug, "I'm so proud of you, Sonni. I can't believe I actually get to give you away. I never thought I'd have the chance,"

She caught the cracking in his voice as he said that and snuggled up against his chest, just as she'd done when she was small. He did his best to hide his sniffling, but it wasn't lost on her at all.

"I love you dad," she whispered, "Thanks for everything,"

"Nah," he choked, "It's all you, kiddo. You know something?" he said, pushing her back to grin down at her, hiding the tears in his eyes, "You are one tough little cookie,"

Sonja giggled.

/ooo/

Kaiba hadn't slept well the night before. He sat on his bed in his room, staring at the floor. He'd already gotten up and dressed in his normal attire, trying to work up the nerve to put on the tuxedo he'd ordered for the occasion. It was actually still sitting in its box on the floor a few feet in front of him. He just stared at it, cursing his own nerves which were starting to get to him.

There was a faint knock on the door. He looked up, "It's open,"

Mokuba stuck his head inside. He was already wearing the small black tuxedo Kaiba had purchased for him. He grinned, "It's the big day, big bro! And between you and me, it's been a long time coming! You all—hey, what's wrong? Why aren't you ready yet? The guests are going to be here in just a few hours," he said, moving inside the room and approaching his brother. His gaze fell on the straightened covers on the made bed. He frowned, "Didn't you get any sleep?" he asked. Kaiba returned his gaze to the box, his expression stony. Mokuba's eyes averted to the floor, "Don't tell me you're gonna back out," he mumbled dejectedly.

"Of course not," Kaiba all but shouted. His expression softened at his brother's wide eyes, "Sorry,"

"No, it's fine. Actually, I'm a bit relieved,"

"What?"

"It's about time the human side of you showed itself," Mokuba said, putting his hands in his pockets, "As long as I've known you, you've never put your own interests first, Seto. It's always been either 'us' or the company. Never yourself,"

"What are you babbling about?" Kaiba grumbled.

"Whenever our toys were stolen back at the orphanage, you always put mine in priority over your own. Half the time, you never even got yours back, or they came back damaged and unusable. And when Gozuborou gave us a hard time in our studies, you always made sure my own work was correct before checking your own, sometimes getting mistakes skimmed over that you'd have seen right away if you were more awake,"

"What does this have to do with today?" Kaiba asked quietly.

"Simple. For the first time that I can remember, you're doing something _you_ want to do for _you_, not your reputation, not your company, and not even me. You're marrying Sonja because _you_ want to,"

"Then why can't I get it together enough to dress for the occasion?" Kaiba grumbled, standing up and picking up the box, only to lightly toss it onto the bed.

"Maybe you're just nervous," Mokuba suggested, "You are getting married after all. I don't imagine that's an easy thing to do. Look, we've all known for years that you liked her. So we all kinda knew this was coming,"

Kaiba hummed, looking out the window. He could see the back lawn from his position. He'd had people come in the day before with tables and chairs and such for the guests under the guise that it was a business affair. He knew the caterers would probably arrive before too long. He'd also brought in a few new security guards to keep any nosy press out. He doubted Sonja was any less nervous than he was and he knew that such distractions would more than likely stress her out. As anxious as he was, he wanted her to remember this as fondly as he was sure to. To make their wedding even less conspicuous, he'd arranged for a court official to come by to officially register their marriage rather than have a traditional ceremony.

"Seto," Mokuba said, causing him to turn. His brother gave him a thumbs' up, "It's all gonna be fine. You've never met a challenge you wouldn't take, right?"

Kaiba looked away, "Right,"

"So it's all good. After today, everything's gonna be different for both of us. But maybe that's a good thing,"

He turned away, heading for the door. He glanced back, "You know, it's still early. Why don't you try to rest a little bit and I'll wake you before they start arriving,"

Kaiba hesitated, considering it. Finally, he sighed, "You know, I might take you up on that," he said quietly.

Mokuba grinned, "Good. Oh, by the way, I got a call from the movers. Everything arrived safe and sound at the new house,"

Kaiba nodded and the door shut. He was left alone again. He sat back down on the bed and glanced at the box. He carefully set it on the floor and laid down with a sigh, closing his eyes wearily. Maybe Mokuba was right; a couple hours' sleep might do him some good.

A few minutes later, Mokuba checked to see if his brother really did decide to rest. Partially to his surprise, he was in fact deeply asleep for once. Mokuba smiled and shook his head, "He's so stubborn sometimes," he muttered to himself, closing the door.

/ooo/

…

_"...Huh. He really _is_ asleep. I'm kind of surprised,"_

_ "What'd I tell ya? He must've been up the whole night thinking about it," _

_ "I'll wake him up. You go on ahead," _

_ "You sure?" _

_ "Yeah," _

Something moved. What exactly was it? And whose voice was that? It sounded close by. He heard someone approach and the sound of fabric rustling as they sat down close. His head was a little foggy, but he was waking up quickly. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Sonja?" he mumbled.

She smiled at him, sitting on the floor with her head cradled in her arms on the bed beside him, "Hey. Good morning," she said.

He blinked a few times and then sat up, suppressing a yawn, "When did you get here?"

Sonja sat back, "Just a little while ago. Mokuba told me you didn't sleep well,"

"No. You?"

She shook her head, "Mm-mm. No such luck. I guess we were both kinda anxious, huh?"

She stood up and stretched, "I'd better get ready, Mokuba said I could use one of the guest rooms. Is that all right?"

He smirked, "Don't get in the habit of asking things like that," he said.

Sonja chuckled, "Right. Soon it won't matter too much. Well, I guess I won't see you for a while,"

He frowned, "Why not?"

Sonja went a little pink, "Well, I'll be getting my gown on and it's supposed to be bad luck for the groom to see the bride too early," she muttered, shrinking in on herself slightly. She cleared her throat, "Mokuba told me that you've arranged for an official to quietly register our marriage," she said.

He stood up, "Yeah. Right now, it's still risky. I want as little publicity as possible, Sonja," he said somewhat somberly. To his surprise, she smiled brightly, "No, no, it's nice that you put so much thought into this. When will he be here?"

"Probably within the hour. The people with us will be there as well,"

"I understand. I'll see you then, Seto," she said, turning to go. She headed out and shut the door behind her. Kaiba stared after her a moment, unable to stop himself from thinking that it was rather nice seeing her face when he opened his eyes.

/ooo/

Mai and Tea both arrived to help Sonja with her gown. Serenity came along with them bringing accessories for her hair. Once the gown was on, Serenity took one lock from each side of Sonja's head and braided it thinly, weaving a thin blue ribbon through each one. She also clipped a small fake flower attachment at the base of each braid. Except for that, her hair was left down, reaching clear down her back past her waist. Tea brushed it with a fine toothed comb, "Sonja, your hair is gorgeous. I can see why Serenity didn't want to mess with it too much,"

"Thank you,"

"I wish I could grow mine long like you guys," Tea said, "Mine is wiry and hard to manage; that's why I keep it short,"

"When's the ceremony going to start?" Serenity asked as she gathered up the extra bits and pieces she'd brought with her.

"Actually," Sonja said sheepishly, "It sort of already did. The councilman from the county court and office came by about forty-five minutes ago. Seto and I met with him secretly to fill out the paperwork and marriage license, so our marriage is actually legalized now,"

"Huh!?" all three girls exclaimed.

"When did this get thrown in?" Mai said in bewilderment.

"We both wanted as little attention drawn to it as possible," Sonka explained, "We're still going to meet everyone outside and...well, do our vows and such," she added quietly, "But all of the filing to register our marriage is already taken care of,"

Mai sighed and braced her hand on her forehead, "If you say so, but it totally feels like cheating,"

Sonja giggled, "Maybe, but it's less stressful this way. And anyway, everything else will be the same, so it's not that different,"

Mai just shrugged, "Well, the bride's ready to go. Tea, Serenity, we'd better go get our dresses on. Can't be late, now," she chimed, shooing them out of the room. Sonja watched them go and then looked down at her hands folded in her lap. She sighed, "Yeah," she mumbled to herself, "It's official. There was no big ceremony but...I'm married, now,"

She stood up, moving toward the door. She stepped outside, hugging her shawl closer to her. She could hear a lot of voices coming from below. It seemed just about everyone was there already. She moved to the railing to peer down at the landing. She identified most everyone almost immediately; Zigfried in particular was hard to miss and he was the first to spot her. Rather than raise a stir, he politely bowed his head and inconspicuously gestured for her to come down. Sonja carefully descended the steps and smiled as he drew near, "Hey Zigfried," she said, "How are you? It's been awhile,"

"I am qvuite vell, _Frau_ Sonja," he said, reaching for her hand. He kissed it delicately and straightened up, "My heartfelt congratulations,"

"Thank you. And thank you for coming, as well,"

He chuckled, "My dear, I vouldn't miss it for ze vorld," he chimed.

By now, most of the guests had noticed she'd come down. Sonja counted approximately twenty-five people, though this wasn't surprising. She'd known there wouldn't be many. She felt awkward greeting everyone by herself though and excused herself to go back upstairs to find Kaiba. She left Mokuba to guide everyone outside to wait for them. Sonja approached cautiously and knocked on his door.

"_It's open_,"

However, she hesitated to open the door, "Seto? It's me. Everyone is going outside. Are you coming?"

She figured she must have startled him somewhat because she heard something fall over heavily, followed by him grumbling under his breath, "_Yes, I'll be there in a minute,_" he called.

"Okay. I'll see you downstairs,"

She headed back down toward the back.

Kaiba glanced at the door and then down at his wrist, straightening the sleeve. He sighed. This was it. After today, everything would change. But like Mokuba said, it was likely for the better.

He heard another knock and glanced back behind him, "Who is it?"

"_May I come in_?"

"Uh...Yugi," he muttered in surprise, half-expecting it to be Sonja again. They must have passed each other, "Yeah, it's open,"

The door opened slowly. Yugi stepped inside, wearing a smart black formal outfit. Normally, he dressed almost like a street punk sans the attitude, so seeing him this way was a bit of a shock. He smiled and nodded at Kaiba, "Mokuba told me you were edgy," he said, "I'm glad to see you seem to have calmed down,"

Kaiba scowled and turned away, "Don't be ridiculous," he grumbled.

"You know, it's all right to be honest once in a while, especially now of all times. Most of the guests have arrived. Mokuba asked me to tell you this,"

Kaiba nodded, "I've been watching through the window. There's supposed to be around twenty-five people,"

"Are you still having second thoughts on letting Sonja handle the guests?"

"Not really. I trust her judgment. Besides, it's high time I followed my own advice and let go of the past already,"

He moved past Yugi and headed for the door. Yugi watched as he reached it, hand on the doorknob and staring at the wooden door frame. He frowned when he saw his wrist shaking ever-so-slightly. He was about to say something, but Kaiba apparently succeeded in shaking it off and opening the door, stepping outside and waiting for Yugi to follow him.

Outside, the fair-sized crowd of people had arranged themselves at the dozen or so tables set up in the backyard. Sonja stood off to the side with Mai, Tea, Serenity and Sophie and watched as everyone mingled.

"It seems to be going well," Sonja said, "Even Zigfried is getting along with people,"

They watched as Rebecca Hawkins struck up a conversation with the eccentric man who listened intently at whatever she was telling him, nodding infrequently.

"So what if there's no official ceremony," Mai said, arms folded, "I still say this is gonna be a day to remember. By the way Sonja, I love these dresses you picked out,"

"Thanks, Mai. Sophie dragged me out to get them since I'd forgotten momentarily,"

The bridesmaid dresses were long straight necked scarlet gowns with halter straps that formed long trails of matching silk reaching halfway down their backs in elegant draperies.

"I'm so proud of you, Sonja," Sophie squealed.

"Thanks, sis," Sonja replied, "But I haven't seen Seto since this morning. I'm not sure where he is, now,"

However, the words were barely out of her mouth when Mai suddenly smirked, grabbed Sonja's arm and gently turned her around so she faced the opposite end of the yard. She understood right then as Yugi and Kaiba appeared, both searching the crowd aimlessly. They hadn't spotted them yet. Sonja couldn't seem to will herself to move forward until Mai gave her a shove.

"Go on, don't make him look forever!" she exclaimed, laughing.

Meanwhile, nobody seemed to notice Sophie creeping away from the group toward the side of the house. She crouched down by the bushes where she found Mokuba playing around with the speaker system he'd set up. He put his finger to his lips to quiet her and held up a CD case, grinning. She snickered madly and high-fived him, "That's perfect, Mokuba,"

"You know they're gonna be mad when I press Play, though. Right?"

"Sure, but once it starts, it'll wear off. Besides, can you think of a song that fits them better than this?"

Mokuba chuckled, "Nope. I hope they forgive us someday," he beamed.

He put the CD into the player.

Sonja held back slightly, watching him from a mild distance as he was approached by Zigfried. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she prayed that he was being cordial. She took a deep breath and decided to approach.

Zigfried was the first to notice, peering over Kaiba's shoulder as she drew nearer to them. His eyes narrowed and he smiled knowingly, "_Herr _Kaiba, it vould seem zat my presence has become a hindrance. I believe I shall take my leave, for now," he said. He stepped back with a light bow, while Kaiba eyed him in confusion. He gestured behind him, causing him to turn around slowly. Zigfried watched as Kaiba's eyes widened slightly, watching Sonja carefully as she reached their position. She shrugged and smiled, "So...does it look okay?" she asked quietly. Kaiba examined the gown, one eyebrow raised in surprise and confusion.

"Renaissance?" he asked in bewilderment. When Zigfried sighed heavily a few feet away and Sonja's expression went from shy and expectant to frozen and stiff, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. Possibly a very stupid thing, at that.

"W-Well," she mumbled, playing with the dragonfly choker she wore around her neck, "I didn't actually have control over the design of the dress. Serenity insisted it be a surprise so I was always blindfolded for fittings. I know it looks a little weird, but at least it's kind of different, right? After all, I—"

Kaiba placed his hand on her shoulder, shushing her. He smiled gently, "You look beautiful, Sonja," he whispered quietly.

She stared up at him in amazement at his compliment. She looked away shyly and sighed, "Sorry. Guess I was rambling there, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed.

It took them both a minute to realize that almost everyone there was staring at them. They both looked up, glancing around in surprise as the entire congregation fell almost completely silent, all eyes focused on them.

Embarrassing much? They both glanced awkwardly at each other and watched as everyone slowly looked elsewhere, some of them laughing to themselves and each other.

After a little while, though, they started to become a little more comfortable with the idea that they were supposed to greet everyone. Kaiba mostly watched as Sonja approached the guests and chatted excitedly with them, or received hugs. He recognized Katia instantly who swept Sonja up in a crushing embrace and crying as she did so, proclaiming something or other in another language. He even found it kind of cute when Roland and Ursula suddenly appeared out of the crowd with a big bunch of Lillies of The Valley for her, matching the flowers in her hair. Roland looked heavily awkward and embarrassed, but shook her hand stiffly. Kaiba was sure he heard him congratulating her only to be cut off by Ursula finishing his sentence. He winced as she congratulated Sonja on being the first to discover he even had a heart. He sighed wearily, deciding he'd let any jokes slip today. After all, he'd done a lot of thinking and Sonja was right; the only reason any of these people showed up was because of her, anyway. They'd all been drawn to her, just as he had. Standing off to the side and watching her as she laughed and joked with Serenity and Mai, it occurred to him then that he really was fortunate.

"Aww, she's so cute when she laughs," a familiar voice chimed all of a sudden, startling Kaiba badly. He whirled, eyes wide as Pegasus approached, hands in his pockets and smiling broadly, "She's got a great laugh, a fine trait in any wife or so I'm told," he said jovially.

Kaiba just stared in bewilderment, "When did she invite _you_?" he mumbled.

"Oh come now, Kaiba-boy, I've been here. However, you were so smitten with your lovely young wife that you never even noticed me," he chuckled, "I can hardly blame you, there. She reminds me of my darling Cecelia. Hopefully your happy ending turns out better than mine did," he said, adding the last part somewhat quietly. Kaiba frowned as Pegasus suddenly seemed to lose himself in his thoughts, his eyes going distant. He sighed and shook his head, "But today is a day for the future, not the past. And I for one am delighted she invited me. I've been dying to chat with you, again,"

Kaiba scowled, "Trying to set up good relations with the company again?"

Pegasus sighed, "Always so suspicious, Kaiba-boy," he said, shaking his head sadly, "I would never intrude on a sacred ceremony such as this to discuss business. Today is a day to celebrate; business can always wait until tomorrow or the day after, or however long it takes,"

"Hm," Kaiba grumbled, returning his gaze to where Sonja was speaking excitedly to Damon and Angus.

"You do understand what I'm talking about, right Kaiba-boy?" Pegasus asked, eying him skeptically. Kaiba glanced at him briefly, but didn't reply. Pegasus sighed again, "Listen Kaiba, there will come times in your newly forged union where work will have to be placed second above all else. You need to learn how to recognize these times and when,"

Kaiba frowned, staring at the ground. Yeah, he understood that much on his own. He knew that he'd need to be ready for anything. From what Ursula had said, his step-father had been terrible at balancing his life and his work together at once. Well, if he just considered it one more challenge to best him at, he shouldn't have trouble with it.

"I recognize that look in your eyes, Kaiba-boy,"

"Huh?"

"I don't know what you're thinking anymore, but I don't need a magic eye to tell me that you're thinking of treating this new life as a business challenge to try to overcome it. That isn't going to work and you probably know that already,"

"How would you know?"

The older man sighed again, "If my sweet Cecelia hadn't passed on in such an untimely manner as she did, then Duel Monsters probably wouldn't exist as it does today, Kaiba. I designed the game with the spark of an ambition born from the desire to do something great. I could only devote so much time to it because I had nothing but time. Keep that in mind, Kaiba-boy,"

He clapped him on the shoulder and moved off into the crowd. Kaiba watched him go, finding it hard to believe he'd just accepted advice from Goofball Number 1, Maximilian Pegasus. Then again, he wasn't above asking for help and it was true he knew nothing about what he was getting into. He hated to admit it, but he needed all the help he could get.

He jumped when Sonja came back over and smiled, "I'm sorry," she said, "It took a while to shake them off. Um, are you okay? You look a little pale," she said, raising her hand to his forehead and surprising him, "You're kinda cold, actually,"

"I'm fine, Sonja," he said truthfully, taking her hand.

Everyone startled in shock when a high-pitched squealing sound rent the air, causing them all to whirl toward the microphone where Pegasus stood waiting patiently. Kaiba glanced at Sonja warily, who shrugged in equal confusion.

"Attention people," he declared, "I have just been informed that it's time for the moment everyone was waiting for. And as we all know, our host probably won't make this kind of announcement on his own, I decided to help out a bit,"

Several bouts of laughter rose up and Kaiba groaned, covering his eyes and shaking his head. Sonja just looked on in disbelief as Pegasus handed the mike off to Sophie as she approached, grinning to the crowd. She cleared her throat, "Testing, 1,2 ,3...Hey everyone, thanks for coming. On behalf of the Gavens clan, I'd like to welcome my new big brothers to our family. Where are you guys, anyway?" she asked, scanning the crowd with her hand above her eyes. She grinned and pointed at Kaiba and Sonja, both frozen in surprise, "Well, there's one of 'em. Now, since it's time for everyone who wants to to say their thoughts on this occasion, I thought I'd take the first tour of duty and get this ball rolling already. Now, while I'm not entirely sure how the whole thing started to begin with, much less how they even got together in the first place—" she said with a befuddled shrug, earning several peals of laughter through the crowd—"I am more than happy to admit that without Mr. Kaiba over there, mine and Sonja's lives would be drastically different and not _nearly_ as fun. Not only did I get one awesome big brother out of the mix, I also found my best friend in _his_ brother, Mokuba. Not sure where he is at present, but when he shows up, you can bet we'll have some kind of contest involving some form of weird drink concoction, I assure you. Look forward to it!"

She stepped away from the mike stand, watching as groups of people scattered to the tables. No one table had been set aside for the wedding party so they congregated at a central table. Kaiba sat beside Sonja, gently taking her hand beneath the cover of the tablecloth. She threw him a sidelong glance and smiled. They watched (Kaiba mostly in irritation) as Joey stepped up to take the mike. Sonja bit her lip in slight anxiety, praying to any god who was listening that Joey remember to be kind-ish. He straightened his necktie, clearing his throat. He closed his eyes and then snapped them open for an overly dramatic effect, "So, here I am attending the wedding of the one guy I spent five years hating more than anything on earth," he started off, "However, while I still can't stand Kaiba, I consider Sonja to be a valuable member of the team,"

"Joey Wheeler!" Mai yelled from somewhere in the crowd, causing the yellow haired nutcase to flinch slightly. He giggled sheepishly, "Okay, okay, I'll be serious," he chuckled. He cleared his throat again, "In the five years I've spent trying to prove myself as good a duelist as Kaiba and Yugi, I learned something about the guy and only today will any of you hear this from me. He's not afraid to stand up and protect something valuable to him, no matter what it is. How many times have we seen him risk his neck for Mokuba? How about when Sonja almost died five years ago? Tea told me that that stubborn whacko spent almost two days in total waiting for her to wake up and that in the end, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was him. If that's not dedication, I don't know what is. Kaiba, I may not like ya, but after being forced to know you for five years, I respect ya. You may never acknowledge my talent as a duelist or my worth as a person, but as far as I'm concerned, if Sonja can see some good in ya, then it must be there somewhere. You'd better take good care of her, hear me?"

Sonja glanced at him warily. It was almost hard to put into words how weird his expression was right then. He couldn't seem to decide whether he was angry at Joey, confused, or grateful for the semi-kind words.

"Maybe you'll be a little more cordial to him from now on," she whispered.

"I'll think about it,"

Sonja giggled, watching as Joey handed the mike off, this time to Mokuba who had suddenly reappeared in the crowd. He stepped up, grinning and bowed slightly, "Hey everyone. You probably know who I am already. Anyway, it's my turn to say something. It's not very long, but it's just a thank you to Sonja. In five years of knowing you, I've seen my brother change in more ways than I ever thought possible. I mean, the proof is in how many people actually showed up today. Show of hands, how many people here couldn't stand my brother initially? And be honest because we all know who you are,"

Kaiba sighed as over a dozen hands tentatively went up.

"And yet you're all here for his wedding? How about that!?" Mokuba exclaimed, laughing, "So he's gotten better, right? Well, he has a long, long time to keep improving. And anyway, I think having a big sister is gonna be kinda cool,"

As he left the stand, Sonja started in surprise as Kaiba suddenly stood up, slowly making his way over to where Mokuba still stood. He lightly knocked his brother on the forehead and took the microphone from him, putting it back in the stand and putting his hands in his pockets to avoid fidgeting. He looked around aimlessly, trying to find a good place to begin whole everyone waited with baited breath, amazed that he was going to speak at all. Mokuba stood back a ways, watching with a small smile on his face. He had a feeling he knew what his brother was going to say.

Kaiba coughed slightly, unused to being so edgy about speaking to a crowd. He forced back the anxiety, facing everyone determinedly. When this failed, he focused instead on Sonja, sitting and watching him patiently. The sight of her there calmed him down a bit and he sighed, "I'd also like to get my two cents in," he said, "Regarding what Sophie mentioned on how this all started to begin with. Only a few people here are aware of this, Sonja included. I want to get this out in the open,"

He paused again, gathering his thoughts, "Sonja was a transfer student at Domino High. She wasn't even close to being the person she is today. She was hostile and mistrustful. She challenged me to a duel almost instantly. From there, even though we couldn't stand each other at the time, our paths crossed multiple times. I discovered that she was underage and scraping out a living on her own with only Sophie. I knew they would eventually be caught by officials, taken away, and possibly separated if Sonja were discovered to be a minor living on her own. I...remembered my own experiences regarding a very similar matter. I wouldn't wish this fate on my worst enemy, so I chose to intervene in order to protect Sophie, who had become friends with Mokuba. I will admit, my decision had nothing to do with Sonja at the time,"

He paused again and Sonja glanced over at her father sitting at the adjacent table. His expression contorted in shock and anger at what he was hearing. Sonja knew that Kaiba was treading dangerous ground by bringing this up right now. But she understood why he was saying it. She returned her gaze to the front. He was continuing;

"I knew that when she turned eighteen, he would be safe from welfare services. When that day came, I forced myself to cut ties with her. However, I don't believe she knows that it was difficult to do. What can I say?" he smirked, "Her daily annoyance grew on me after a while,"

He sighed, "In the end, while everything turned out the way it did, I will admit I was not expecting it to. Sonja," he said, looking over at her. His expression grew extremely uncomfortable, and she knew he was literally forcing himself to say this in front of all these people. He steeled himself and concluded, "You've been through something no one should ever endure. As long as I live, I will protect you. Starting today, you're part of my family and nothing will ever change that. Because of you, I'm able to stand here and say this aloud. Sonja...thank you for agreeing to become my wife,"

He said it stiffly, the words appearing clumsily. Sonja knew how heartfelt they truly were, even if the delivery had been awkward. It was more than she could ask for from him. She knew it would probably happen rarely, but he had just all but declared his love for her in front of a crowd of people. To know that he cared enough about her to force himself to reveal his feelings before witnesses was more proof than she could ever need. She actually felt her heartbeat quicken slightly as he left the mike stand and returned to the table amidst stares of surprise and admiration. He sat down and folded his arms, acting as if nothing had happened.

A few more people went up and spoke. As they did, Sonja leaned over and smiled at him; "Seto, that was amazing. I never thought I'd hear you say such a thing in front of so many people," she whispered.

He didn't reply, but she felt his hand clasp hers tightly, linking their fingers together and his thumb playing with the ring on her hand.

Once all the guests who wished to had spoken, it was already evening. The lights strung up in the trees and along the stone wall were going on, illuminating the area in a soft golden glow. They heard the hum as the speakers were switched on, signaling music of some sort. This confused Kaiba slightly, as he hadn't arranged for anything like that in order to prevent unnecessary attention.

"Did you plan anything?" he asked Sonja.

"No. I thought you did,"

They both watched, suddenly suspicious as Mokuba approached the microphone, a triumphant grin on his face, "Everyone, after much deliberation, Sophie and I have found the one song in this world that we think describes these two perfectly. Some of you might know it. These guys were pretty popular a while ago,"

He gestured to Sophie standing off to the side with a small remote in her hand. She pressed a button and instantly, the beginning of a familiar song filled the air. Sonja frowned, "That sounds familiar," she muttered.

"Hey," she heard Sandra exclaim, "That's The Backstreet Boys, _The One_, I think,"

Both Kaiba and Sonja froze up in shock

"Yeah, I can totally see where he got this idea," Tea chuckled several feet away. She turned, giving Mai, Sophie, and Serenity mischievous looks. They all started toward Sonja, along with Yugi, Tristan, and Joey.

"Okay you two," Mai said to the somewhat stunned Kaiba and Sonja, "You've thrown out most traditional wedding classics in favor of disguising this affair from the prying eyes of the media. That, we can understand and respect. However, you are _not_ tossing aside one of the most important traditions,"

"A-And what's that?" Sonja asked hesitantly. She hesitantly allowed herself to be dragged to the center of the cluster of tables where a large grassy clearing had been created. Sophie and Tea both held onto an arm to keep her there while they watched as Tristan, Yugi, and Joey all struggled to drag Kaiba out as well. He put up one heck of a fight and it took all three guys to forcefully shove him out toward Sonja. He stumbled slightly from being massively overpowered and glowered in their direction before turning slightly to Sonja, his expression somewhat awkward. They both had a fair idea of what Mai was talking about as the lyrics floated within hearing range;

_I guess you were lost when I met you_

_Still there were tears in your eyes,_

_So out of trust, and I knew_

_No more mysteries and lies_

Mai grinned devilishly, "There is no way we're letting you skip out on your first dance as a married couple," she declared with a wink, "Now don't you go sneaking off, you hear me?"

She and the others all faded back into the crowd. Kaiba straightened slightly, watching Sonja as she fidgeted with her sleeves, visibly nervous.

_There you are  
Wild and free  
Reachin' out like you needed me  
A helping hand  
To make it right  
I am holding you all through the night_

"They aren't going to let us get out of this so easily, are they?" Sonja muttered.

"No, you're probably right," he answered.

"And they would pick _this_ song to play, wouldn't they? I'll bet you anything Mokuba had a hand in this,"

He chuckled slightly and sighed, "That's a good wager,"

_I'll be the one (I'll be the one)  
Who will make all your sorrows undone  
I'll be the light (I'll be the light)  
When you feel like there's nowhere to run  
I'll be the one  
To hold you  
And make sure that you'll be alright_

Who knew it could be so incredibly awkward just standing around? Kaiba cast a wary glance at Sonja who had gone a little red from embarrassment, made even more so when she looked up and noticed him staring at her. She swallowed once and shakily reached out to take his arm, "W-well, you know we can't get out of this, so...,"

_'Cause my fear is gone  
And I want to  
Take it from darkness to light_

He faced her slowly, reaching out carefully to take her shoulder. He met her gaze as he pulled her closer, not daring to look elsewhere.

_There you are  
Wild and free  
Reachin' out like you needed me  
A helping hand  
To make it right  
I am holding you all through the night_

Over at one of the tables, Mai sighed in dismay, "Well, I'd hardly call that a dance, but it's better than nothing," she remarked.

"Cut them some slack, Mai," Tea said, chuckling, "This _is_ Kaiba, here.

Sonja leaned forward, resting her head against his chest as she closed her eyes, "This is kinda nice," she murmured.

"I'm sorry, Sonja," she felt him say. She looked up at him curiously, "What are you apologizing for?"

"This probably wasn't what you were expecting for your wedding," he said quietly, "I ended up rejecting most of the ideas given by the planner I hired. I didn't want you to get stressed out, so I organized it as simply as I could,"

Sonja leaned against him, listening to the comforting sound of his heartbeat, "And that's what makes it memorable, Seto," she said, "The fact that you took so much of my feelings into account for this is very sweet. It makes me remember what I love about you in the first place,"

"Oh? And what's that?" he said bemusedly.

"Every now and then, that side of you will appear without warning and do something like this that just keeps getting to me,"

By this point, most of the crowd had vanished to them. He momentarily forget they weren't even alone as he closed his eyes, resting his chin against her soft hair with a low sigh.

Several meters away, Joey leaned back in his chair and smirked at Yugi, "I tell ya, Yuge," he said, "I don't think Kaiba knows how lucky he is to have found Sonja. I never once thought that anyone could pull the human side of him out for the world to see,"

It was a day—and night— to remember. Surrounded by the warmth of family and friends, the latter of which only just discovered to be so, a little over two dozen people bore witness to the formation of a new family, the trust that two people placed on one another to carry the future safely to its resting place. Even when the music finally died down and conversation began again, everything was only slightly different from before.

And everyone _but_ that new family could see it.


End file.
